This New York court ruling is even uglier for Donald Trump than you think
New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron has spoken, and the Trumps must give testimony. This should be interesting. It may all be a study in frustration, as all three will likely plead the Fifth as Eric did in his deposition. According to CNN, Judge Engoron held a two-hour hearing on this issue that was referred to as “contentious.” Trump and his family wanted to quash (throw out) the subpoenas, while Letitia James asked the court to order their compliance. It sounds like Judge Engoron was not buying what they were selling, which was their claim that testifying would violate their constitutional rights. That is rich. All Trump did was violate the Constitution and the rights contained therein, yet he now wants to use it as a shield. That argument fell flat, as it should have.
During the hearing, Judge Engoron reminded them that they had the right to invoke the Fifth. He asked: “Can’t they refuse to answer? Isn’t that what Eric Trump did 500 times?” Ouch. Not a good look. If you’re not guilty of anything, why not just answer the questions? We, of course, know the answer to that rhetorical question. The Trumps are a criminal family enterprise, from the bogus Trump University to Ivanka’s Louboutin rip-offs. Letitia James reminded the court that the Trumps still have not handed over documents she has requested, which also violates the subpoenas they were issued. The judge wrote in his ruling: “In the final analysis, a State Attorney General commences investigating a business entity, uncovers copious evidence of possible financial fraud, and wants to question, under oath, several of the entities’ principles, including its namesake. She has a clear right to do so.” And that, my friends, is that. The judge has spoken, and the Trumps must surrender themselves to deposition. There are good reasons that Trump’s attorneys don’t want him testifying.
Trump lies and boasts so much that he will end up hurting himself if he testifies. He claimed just Monday that he “doesn’t know anything about the Trump Organization’s finances,” according to Business Insider. The very next day, he said that the company “has among the best real estate and other assets” worldwide. So, which is it? Does he know or not? He is such a braggart that he cannot resist saying foolish things publicly even as he is under scrutiny. He went even further after Mazars dropped the Trump Organization like a proverbial hot potato. In his statement, Trump reiterated that his company has “fantastic assets” while claiming they have “significant amounts of cash and relatively very little debt, which is totally current.” All lies. Forbes reported back in October 2020 that Trump was in debt more than $1 billion. Much of that is obviously in loans, and some, if not all, of those loans may have been fraudulently obtained. Those lenders are going to want their money, and given everything that is currently transpiring, they may want it sooner rather than later. Trump losing anything is glorious. Additional losses may well be in his future.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years