Trump Had 'No Choice' But To Plead the Fifth in NY Deposition

Politically motivated investigations into former President Donald Trump are escalating. But after six years, he’s still in the clear.

The deposition: New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating the Trump Organization for financial fraud. She wants to charge the organization for violations of banking, insurance, and tax law. Instead of complying with the deposition, the former president repeatedly pleaded the fifth.

Trump calls it a witch hunt. “I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice.”

He’s got a point: Attorney General James campaigned on putting Trump behind bars. “I will never be afraid to challenge this illegitimate president,” James stated during her campaign. This recent deposition is just a new chapter of her yearslong efforts to find wrongdoing in Trump’s past business activity.

Between the lines: It’s no secret that the Democratic establishment does not want Donald Trump to run again in 2024. After all, Biden only narrowly won in 2020 by less than 50,000 votes nationally, in an election fraught with outside influence and illegal voting procedures. Charging Trump could hurt his upcoming prospects or, moreover, forcefully prevent him from running again.

Big picture: Trump has become one of history's most investigated American presidents. Just this year, the FBI raided his home, a court ruled that the House could access his taxes through the IRS, and AG James continued her campaign against the former president.