Trump Says He Refused To Answer Questions In NY AG's Probe

NEW YORK CITY — Former President Donald Trump said he refused to answer questions under oath Wednesday in his hometown of New York City as part of a civil investigation into his business.

Trump posted a lengthy statement about the high-stakes testimony that attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James and said he claimed the Fifth Amendment.

He claimed James' investigation is part of a wide-ranging "politically motivated Witch Hunt."

"I once asked, 'If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?" he wrote. "Now I know the answer to that question."

"According, 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."

James had yet to respond to Trump as of Wednesday morning.

The scheduled questioning came two days after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Trump has set up residence after decades in New York City, in an unrelated probe into whether he took classified documents from the White House.

The FBI raid drew condemnation from Republicans and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. But it's only one of several investigations closing in on Trump, including a high-profile congressional committee looking into the Jan. 6 insurrection.

James' probe centers on Trump's selfsame Trump Organization. She said in court filings that her office found significant evidence that the company exaggerated the value of holdings to impress lenders or slash tax burdens.

Trump has denied the accusations and fought every step of the investigation, to the point that a judge found him in contempt of court and ordered him to pay $10,000 a day until he complied with subpoenas.

The same judge later ordered Trump to testify under oath, but the questioning scheduled for July was delayed after the former president's ex-wife Ivana Trump died.

Before Trump's deposition Wednesday, he made another post hisTruth Social account that carried an attack on New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"In New York City tonight," he posted. "Seeing racist N.Y.S. Attorney General tomorrow, for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history! My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.