(added background)
NEW YORK / WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – After the search of his property in Florida, the former US President remains donald trump in the sights of the judiciary. In New York, the 76-year-old refused to testify on another matter on Wednesday, as Trump himself announced on the Truth Social platform he co-founded. It’s about his business practices. Trump had previously arrived at Attorney General Letitia James’ office for questioning under oath by court order. The Democrat has been leading civil investigations against his corporate empire for years. The Republican spoke again of a “witch hunt”.
The appointment came at a sensitive time. On Monday (local time) Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach (Florida) was searched by the FBI federal police – the process is considered unprecedented in US history. The background was apparently Trump’s handling of documents from his tenure. At the beginning of the year it became known that the national archives responsible for storing presidential correspondence suspected several boxes with confidential material, among other things, in Trump’s private club. Trump finally handed over several documents to the agency in January.
After that, there was another exchange between investigators and Trump’s lawyers, it said. The officials finally suspected that Trump or his team were still withholding important documents, the Washington Post wrote, citing anonymous sources. The FBI is said to have taken twelve boxes during the search. Trump was not at his property during the action.
Many powerful Republicans backed Trump, who described the move as a “coordinated attack” by Democrats. On Tuesday, Trump wrote: “A terrible thing that happened yesterday in Mar-a-Lago. We are no better than a third world country, a banana republic.” He also accused President Joe Biden of having been informed in advance. The White House rejected this.
During the survey in New York, the ex-president should have been confronted with unpleasant questions, including suspected false valuations of real estate. Attorney General James says Trump and the Trump Organization used misleading financial reports to gain economic advantage. Trump’s company denies the allegations.
According to a Fox News report, Trump was the last member of the family to be questioned. His children Ivanka and Don Jr. have already testified. After the death of Ivana Trump, his first wife, the statements planned for July were postponed under the oath of the ex-president and their two children.
Trump may refuse to testify on the matter if he incriminates himself. Son Eric, who had to testify under oath in the matter in 2020, exercised this right hundreds of times during his questioning. However, such a step could be construed as disadvantageous in a possible process. Donald Trump is the founder of the Trump Organization, his two sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump are vice presidents of the company conglomerate, which is primarily active in the real estate sector.
Meanwhile, influential Republicans rallied behind Trump after the search: “Our cities are crawling with criminals, but (Merrick) Garland’s politicized Justice Department is targeting President Trump and members of Congress,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Republican Mitch McConnell called for an immediate investigation from the Justice Department. Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley made a similar statement.
Even Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, backed him. “Yesterday’s action undermines public confidence in our legal system,” he said. The appearance of partiality on the part of the Ministry of Justice must be removed. Pence recently distanced himself from Trump. He is said to have ambitions for a presidential candidacy in 2024. Trump keeps flirting with it, too.
Many Democrats had recently urged Attorney General Garland to launch an investigation into Trump in the wake of the new findings surrounding the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Critics accused Garland of hesitation. The search of the property was all the more surprising. Recently, however, there were also indications that the ministry was examining Trump’s behavior around January 6 and the 2020 presidential election more closely./trö/DP/he