Trump likely won't attend trial over rape claim, lawyer says
The United States former president, Donald Trump is scheduled to return to New York for a deposition on Thursday in a business fraud lawsuit filed against him and his company by the state’s attorney general.
Since Trump’s arraignment last week on felony charges in a separate criminal case involving hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to bury claims of extramarital sexual encounters that Trump says never happened, it will be his first trip to New York City
Trump to face questioning in New York
According to the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and did so on condition of anonymity, the former US president is expected to face questioning at New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office in lower Manhattan.
Trump previously sat for a deposition at James’ office last August, just weeks before she filed the lawsuit. That time, Trump declined to answer questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination more than 400 times.
“Politically motivated Witch Hunt”
Prior to his intense courtroom session on the Hush Money case, Donald Trump said he did so because he believed the investigation was part of a “politically motivated Witch Hunt.”
Messages seeking comment were left with Trump’s lawyers and the state attorney general’s office. A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions Monday evening about his plans.
Allegations against Trump
James’ lawsuit alleges Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, misled banks and others, in part by providing them with annual financial statements that misstated the value of prized assets, including golf courses and hotels bearing his name.
The democrat is seeking $250 million and a ban on Trump, a Republican, doing business in the state.
The judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, remains committed to an Oct. 2 trial date but agreed recently to move some pretrial deadlines to allow lawyers more time to review evidence, interview witnesses and file motions. Trump’s deposition is part of that process.
The Judge has scheduled a hearing for April 21 to resolve a dispute over the scheduling of a deposition for Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.
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‘Complex case by not complicated’
On March 21, hearing session, the Judge said, “This case is complex, but it is not complicated. Essentially, it all boils down to whether (Trump’s) statements of financial interest are true or false.”
This week’s deposition and the ongoing civil and criminal cases aren’t the only legal troubles Trump is facing in New York.
On Monday, a federal judge issued an order asking if Trump plans to attend a trial this month in a civil lawsuit resulting from columnist E. Jean Carroll’s claims that he raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. The trial is scheduled to start on April 25 in Manhattan federal court.
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