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President Trump will use his Fifth Amendment rights to defend himself against New York Attorney General Letitia James’s “witch hunt” investigation into his businesses.
After shredding the “renegade and out-of-control prosecutor” and “failed politician” in a Wednesday morning statement, the 45th president justified his reasons for invoking the Fifth Amendment which protects against self-incrimination.
Acknowledging that he once asked the question “If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” Trump continued, “Now I know the answer to that question.”
He explained:
“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. If there was any question in my mind, the raid of my home, Mar-a-Lago, on Monday by the FBI, just two days prior to this deposition, wiped out any uncertainty. I have absolutely no choice because the current Administration and many prosecutors in this Country have lost all moral and ethical bounds of decency.”
The statement comes after Trump was seen walking near the attorney general’s office where he was set to deliver an hours-long deposition.
However, “under the advice” of his legal counsel “and for all of the above reasons,” Trump announced he “declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”