The former president may be a hypocrite, but at least he knows his own rights.
by Joe Lancaster
Reason.com
New York Attorney General Letitia James has investigated former President Donald Trump and his real-estate business for over a year. The probe, conducted in conjunction with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, began as a civil investigation before James announced last May that it had become criminal.
Today, Trump was forced to sit for a deposition at James’ Manhattan office. In a statement, he indicated that he had “declined to answer the questions,” invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to be forced to incriminate oneself.
The invocation marked a notable break from Trump’s previous thoughts on taking the Fifth, most notably during the 2016 campaign: During a presidential debate against Hillary Clinton, he called it “disgraceful” that members of her staff had refused to testify before congressional committees investigating Clinton’s use of a private email server. Days later, he told a rally crowd, “The mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”