Trump Refuses To Answer NY AG’s Questions, Invokes 5th Amendment

Ex-President Donald Trump announced on his fake Twitter app on Wednesday morning that he pleaded the Fifth Amendment during his scheduled deposition with New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) in her civil probe into the Trump organization.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1428258
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Loser does loser thing as defined by the loser.

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‘If You’re Innocent, Why Are You Taking the 5th Amendment?’

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I’m sure he meant the 6th. He’s always the biggest.

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Funny, I don’t remember Hillary pleading the 5th.

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So he’s admitting that if he talked he would have incriminated himself.

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Trump says he did, but the man couldn’t keep on script if his life depended on it. Chances are in between claiming a big, beautiful 5th, he made incriminating statements via his normal verbal diarrhea.

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Of course he pled the 5th. Otherwise he would be incriminating himself. He learned to be a criminal from Roy Cohn after all.

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Aug. 10, 2022, 10:22 a.m. ET20 minutes ago

20 minutes ago

Benjamin Protess

Trump, in defending his decision to invoke his Constitutional right against self-incrimination, said, “I have absolutely no choice because the current Administration and many prosecutors in this Country have lost all moral and ethical bounds of decency.” He added, “Under the advice of my counsel and for all of the above reasons, I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”

Aug. 10, 2022, 10:19 a.m. ET23 minutes ago

23 minutes ago

Benjamin Protess

Trump issued a statement shortly after the questioning began confirming that he was going to decline to answer questions from the attorney general. In the statement, Trump noted that he once asked, “If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” He then added, “Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice.”

I think he should have answered all questions truthfully and put all of these corrupt Democrats and prosecutors and fake news media in their place.

He really could have done it, you know.

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The ambassador that would have contradicted her story was already dead.

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lol, what a tool!

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He actually listened to his lawyers? I’m shocked.

Has any other president or former president pleaded the 5th in a deposition? Could be another first for the orange one.

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Of course he did. Why would anyone expect different from a known loser, grifter, coward,and traitor (oh, yes, and a draft dodger) like the Orange Asshole. God I hope he gets put in Weinsteins cell!

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Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if the AG conducting the deposition actually got that into the transcript?

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The next press briefing by AG Letitia James should be interesting.

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Or Epsteins.

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Edit: rptwiz notes, in reply, that there is no motion to compel in these circumstances and that the finder of fact can presume that those facts to which Trump refused to testify are adverse to Trump. So what I said below isn’t operative as a procedural matter. Nevertheless, I stand behind the sentiment I wanted to convey.

He posted on his Twitter clone, “I once asked, 'If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice."

If I was Letitia James, I’d be filing a Motion to Compel with that post attached.

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If you are GUILTY you hide behind the Fifth Amendment. That’s what Trump himself always said until now.

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Because, obviously, telling the truth in response to their questions is not an option.

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By taking the 5th in a CIVIL case deposition, Trump has basically abandoned any defense he could offer to the civil claims AND likely sets hiimself up for criminal prosecution once the civil claims are adjudicated in court, unless they decide that his inability to explain is actions without incriminating himself calls for a presumption on indictment that the fraud was intentional and includes mens rea.

If there was any doubt that Trump operates as a white-collar crime boss, forcing him after 3 years of litigation to take the 5th in a civil deposition was the entire point. He didn’t WANT to have to take the 5th because that should end his political aspirations – his excuse of being persecuted notwithstanding – but he certainly could have sat for the deposition years ago and taken the 5th then.

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