The lawsuit is unrelated to the felony criminal charges brought against Trump by the Manhattan district attorney, which led to his historic arraignment last week, the first for a former president.
Former President Donald Trump was expected to visit the New York attorney general’s office on Thursday for his second statement in a legal battle over his company’s business practices.
The Republican was scheduled to meet with attorneys for Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump last year. Her lawsuit claims that Trump and his family misled banks and business partners by giving them false information about their net worth and the value of assets such as hotels and golf courses.
The lawsuit is unrelated to the felony criminal charges brought against Trump by the Manhattan district attorney, which led to his historic arraignment last week, the first for a former president.
Trump and his lawyers have said the Democrat’s lawsuit against him is politically motivated and without legal basis. He and the company have denied doing anything wrong. James declined to answer a question about the expected statement at a news conference on an unrelated matter on Wednesday.
Also read Dozens of Trump supporters support him as he leaves Florida
Trump previously met with James’ lawyers on August 10, but refused to answer all but a few procedural questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination more than 400 times.
“Anyone in my position who doesn’t accept the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool,” he said at the session, which was videotaped and later released publicly. Trump predicted that a “rogue” prosecutor would try to turn his answers into a criminal case, if he gave them.
“A statement or response that is ever so slightly off, ever so slightly, by accident, by mistake, like it was a beautiful sunny day, when it was actually a bit cloudy, would be responded to by police on a level that they rarely seen in this country, because I have lived it,” he said.
A trial in the lawsuit is scheduled for October.
It’s unclear if Trump would be able to answer any questions in his second statement, which will take place in private if it goes ahead as planned.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel YouTube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter e Instagram.
