Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Judge Rules Trump Must Testify In NY Trump Org. Fraud Probe—And He's Not Handling It Too Well

Judge Rules Trump Must Testify In NY Trump Org. Fraud Probe—And He's Not Handling It Too Well
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The long-running fraud investigation into former Republican President Donald Trump and his company took a new turn Thursday when a judge in the Manhattan Supreme Court denied Trump's motion to evade subpoenas relevant to the investigation.

Now, not only Trump himself but also his right- and left-hand people, daughter Ivanka Trump and son Donald Trump Jr., will be required to testify under oath in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ sprawling investigation.


And as usual, Trump is taking it about as well as you'd imagine. In a lengthy statement issued by Liz Harrington, the spokesperson he hired in order to circumvent his lifelong Twitter ban, Trump melted down over the decision and somehow managed to make it about his biggest obsession: Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Read his statement below.

In his statement, Trump dramatically called AG James' investigation unconstitutional and claimed it was motivated by her and "Radical Left Democrats'" personal hatred of him.

He wrote:

“THERE IS NO CASE!... It is a continuation of the greatest witch-hunt in history and remember, I can’t get a fair hearing in New York because of the hatred of me by judges and the judiciary. It is not possible”

Trump's lawyers argued that in addition to AG James' supposed hatred of Trump, he and his family should also not be compelled to comply with her civil case because the depositions will almost certainly be used against him in an ongoing parallel criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron wasn't having any of it.

In his eight-page ruling, Engoron dismissed the notion that AG James' case was in any way discriminatory, and said given the "copious evidence of possible financial fraud" it would have been "a blatant dereliction of duty" for her not to have subpoenaed Trump and his two eldest children. The ruling requires Donald, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. to be deposed within 21 days.

Trump is all but certain to appeal Engoron's ruling--a gambit legal experts say is likely to fail, too--because just as his lawyers argued would happen, he is in an untenable position.

Answering AG James' questions is likely to damage Trump's political aspirations and his and his children's answers will be used against him in his criminal case. If they plead the fifth instead, the plea will be used against Trump in James' civil case as an admission of guilt and hobble his lawyers' ability to mount a defense in his parallel criminal case.

On Twitter, Engoron's ruling was met with celebration and no shortage of schadenfreude.











This saga is far from over, but whether or not they ever actually crush him, the walls are definitely closing in on Donald Trump.

More from People/donald-trump

Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less
two women in emotional distress seated on couch
Ben White on Unsplash

People Who've Experienced Grief Share The Most Tone-Deaf Things They've Heard

Grief, loss, trauma are all part of life. But for most people, the emotions and reactions that go with them are difficult to witness.

So they rely on platitudes to fill any holes in conversation. That's rarely a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less