Trump will answer questions in NY fraud lawsuit, lawyer says

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump spent hours at the offices of New York's attorney general Thursday for his second deposition in a legal battle over his company's business practises, with his lawyer signalling that he was answering questions this time instead of invoking his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

“President Trump is not only willing but also eager to testify before the Attorney General today,” his attorney, Alina Habba, said in a statement issued shortly after Trump entered the Manhattan skyscraper. “

He remains resolute in his stance that he has nothing to conceal, and he looks forward to educating the Attorney General about the immense success of his multimillion-dollar company.”

The Republican met with lawyers for Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump last year. 

Her lawsuit claims Trump and his family misled banks and business associates by giving them false information about his net worth and the value of assets such as hotels and golf courses.

The lawsuit is unrelated to the felony criminal charges filed against Trump by the Manhattan district attorney, which led last week to his historic arraignment, the first for a former president.

In a social media post Thursday morning, Trump called the suit “ridiculous, just like all of the other Election Interference cases being brought against me.”

He raised his fist as he left his apartment at Trump Tower, with his motorcade arriving at the attorney general's office at around 9:42 a.m. Trump was still in the building more than five hours later.

James declined to answer a question about the deposition at a news conference on an unrelated matter Wednesday.

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