The New York Attorney General has asked a judge to impose sanctions on former US President Donald Trump, his adult children, the Trump Organization and their lawyers. She’s doing this because of their “clearly incorrect” answers to her $250 million fraud case against them. The released video shows Trump invoking his right to remain silent 400 times during questioning last summer.
“On the advice of my advisors, I decline to answer questions based on the rights granted to every citizen by the Constitution of the United States,” Trump replied, beginning the hearing around 9:45 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2022. This will be my answer to all subsequent questions.” Five hours later, Trump is still in the interrogation room, eventually saying “the same answer” 400 times.
“This is a vindictive and selfish thing that may never have happened in this country before,” Trump also said. “Anyone in my position who would not uphold the Fifth Amendment (which gives witnesses in a trial the right not to testify against themselves, ed.) would be a fool, an absolute fool.”
The lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Letitia James, accuses Trump and others of being involved in a decade-long scheme to manipulate the value of the Trump Organization to get banks and insurance companies to provide better terms.
On January 26, Trump, his three children and their lawyers again filed formal responses, denying everything or claiming lack of knowledge about dozens of substantive allegations, as is often the case in such lawsuits. In a letter to the Manhattan judge handling the case, Arthur Engoron, James now says many of the answers were “plainly false,” frivolous or inappropriate. She is asking for sanctions against Trump and others.
“The court has already admonished the defendants and their attorneys for their continued pursuit of frivolous lawsuits, but has exercised its discretion not to impose sanctions at this time,” James wrote. “It doesn’t seem to have made a difference.”
According to James, one of the “inappropriate comments” was Trump’s opposition to being called the “idle head” of the Trump Organization during his tenure as US president, even though he himself used that description in an October 2021 affidavit.
James criticized Trump’s daughter Ivanka for saying she didn’t know if she had met the bankers in person and for failing to confirm the content of her own emails. James also dismissed arguments from Donald Trump and his sons, Donald Jr. and Erika, that she had no legal status and “acted contrary to the old and customary norms.” Earlier, they had already complained about a “political witch hunt”, the description of which was rejected by the supervising judge Engoron.
Source : HLN
