A New York state judge on Wednesday ordered Eric Trump to sit for a deposition with the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James for a fraud investigation into his family’s real estate business prior to the November presidential election.
On Wednesday, Arthur F. Engoron, a state judge in Manhattan, ruled that Trump must answer questions under oath no later than Oct. 7. Eric Trump is an executive vice president for the Trump Organization.
Engoron’s order comes a week after Trump’s lawyers said he was willing to be interviewed under the condition that it happens after the November presidential election, arguing that he did not want his deposition to be used “for political purposes.”
However, Engoron said he found Trump’s request for a delay was “unpersuasive.”
James, who has been conducting a civil investigation into whether the President and the Trump Organization committed fraud by overstating assets to get loans and tax benefits, reacted to the ruling by saying that “justice and the rule of law prevailed” in a statement on Wednesday.
In her statement, James wrote that her office “will immediately move to ensure that Donald Trump and the Trump Organization comply with the court’s order and submit financial records related to our investigation.”
James particularly praised the ruling for prohibiting Trump from delaying his interview and ordering his sit down with investigators to be conducted in her office no later than Oct. 7.
“To be clear, no entity or individual is allowed to dictate how or when our investigation will proceed or set the parameters of a lawful investigation,” James wrote on Wednesday. “The court’s order today makes clear that no one is above the law, not even an organization or an individual with the name Trump.”
Last month, James filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization after accusing the President’s business of “shield(ing) evidence from a lawful investigation into its financial dealings.”
“They have stalled, withheld documents, and instructed witnesses, including Eric Trump, to refuse to answer questions under oath,” James said in a statement last month.
James claimed that Trump refused to show up for a subpoenaed interview on July 22 and canceled his scheduled testimony only two days before.
“That’s why we’ve filed a motion to compel the Trump Organization to comply with our office’s lawful subpoenas for documents and testimony,” James said last month. “These questions will be answered, and the truth will be uncovered, because no one is above the law.”
