Judge Orders Eric Trump to Testify in N.Y. Fraud Inquiry
The president’s son had said he would not give a sworn deposition to the New York attorney general until after the election, but a state judge said he must cooperate sooner.
The New York Times
Date: Sept. 23, 2020
By: William K. Rashbaum and Danny Hakim
A New York state judge on Wednesday ordered President Trump’s son Eric to answer questions under oath before the election in a fraud investigation into his family’s real estate business.
Last week, Eric Trump’s lawyers said he was willing to be interviewed — but would only do so after the presidential election because he did not want his deposition to be used “for political purposes.”
But on Wednesday, a state judge in Manhattan, Arthur F. Engoron, ruled that Mr. Trump had to sit for a deposition no later than Oct. 7. Justice Engoron said he found Mr. Trump’s arguments that a delay was necessary “unpersuasive.”
The attorney general, Letitia James, has been conducting a civil investigation into whether President Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud by overstating assets to get loans and tax benefits.
Ms. James’s office had asked the judge to order Eric Trump, the executive vice president of his father’s business, to answer questions under oath, court papers show. [FULL STORY]