New video shows Trump pleading for the Fifth 400 times during Letitia James’ statement
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‘This is all so unfair’: New video shows Trump citing the Fifth Amendment at least 400 times after claiming he would be ‘foolish’ not to participate in ‘the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country’ in a statement $250 Million Fraud Lawsuit in New York
- Trump invoked his right not to incriminate himself a whopping 400 times during his statement before the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
- New video shows Trump saying ‘same answer’ for nearly four hours
- The statement was part of the Empire State case against Trump, three of his adult children and his business.
Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 400 times during his testimony before the New York Attorney General’s office over the summer.
newly released video obtained by CBS News shows that the former president refused to answer questions during four hours of questioning on August 10.
Trump responded to the first three questions in the statement with: “For all the reasons provided in my response, which is incorporated herein in its entirety, I decline to answer the question.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ team told the former president that “to speed things up,” Trump could respond to questions with “the same answer.”
Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 400 times during his testimony before the New York attorney general’s office in August, newly released video of the interview shows.
Most of the reboot of the statement was the voice of AG senior enforcement counsel Kevin Wallace, who noted for the record that “obviously, we disagree with a lot of the characterizations” in Trump’s statement.
Appearing for the statement in midtown Manhattan, Trump wore a dark blue suit, red tie and an American flag lapel pin.
“This is all very unfair,” Trump says in the summer statement. “Anyone in my position who didn’t accept the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool.”
“I respectfully decline to answer questions about the rights and privileges afforded to all citizens under the Constitution of the United States,” he added, claiming it was on the advice of his lawyer.
“This will be my response to any other questions,” Trump said.
Trump had to go to New York City over the summer to appear for deposition in James’ civil fraud investigation against the former president.
Appearing on August 10, Trump politely answered James’s initial questions before going on to the series of several hundred denials to Wallace’s questions.
Trump answered “yes” when asked by James if he was familiar with the rules for a deposition.
New York Attorney General Letitia James demanded Trump’s statement in August, and just over a month later she announced a lawsuit against the former president, three of his children and his company for inflating the value of their property.
More than a month after the September 21 statement, James announced his office’s lawsuit against Trump, three of his children and his company for inflating the value of their property.
The Trumps have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Following the statement in August, Trump issued a public statement saying he exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and not incriminate himself in court.
Despite saying “same answer,” Trump appeared to weigh in on the questions posed.
At one point, he studied the financial documents Wallace presented to him, leaning forward and crossing his arms before saying “same answer.”