前总统唐纳德·特朗普根据周三提交的一项规定,他的长子和长女已同意参加纽约总检察长办公室下个月的民事调查,除非州最高法院干预。
在没有法庭干预的情况下,前总统特朗普、小唐纳德·特朗普和伊万卡·特朗普该规定称,将于7月15日开始出庭作证,并于下周结束。
州上诉法院5月执政传唤他们作证,并不像特朗普夫妇所说的那样,是出于政治动机的调查的一部分,调查的内容是该家族如何评估其房地产持有量。
该条款规定特朗普夫妇在周一之前向上诉法院申请暂缓执行。
在此案的听证会上,总检察长办公室指责前总统在调查的发现过程中让他们的调查人员“徒劳无功”。
纽约AG办公室的Andrew Amer在周三的听证会上说:“我对我们的现状感到沮丧和困惑。”“特朗普集团是一家大型复杂的房地产公司,对诉讼并不陌生。我只是不明白为什么获得基本信息如此困难。”
4月,一名法官蔑视特朗普未能对司法部长的记录传票做出适当回应。
2017年1月20日,伊万卡·特朗普和小唐纳德·特朗普在第58届总统就职典礼上亮相。
彭博通过盖蒂图片,文件
司法部长办公室特别寻求特朗普公司各部门的文件保留和销毁政策的副本。
“说到底,法官阁下,在发现过程中获取基本信息真的不应该是徒劳的,”Amer说。
特朗普的律师艾莉娜·哈巴巴(Alina Habba)坚称,她的客户已经交出了600万页文件,并表示感觉就像是调查人员“用枪指着我们”。
“这种蔑视应该被清除,”哈巴说。“唐纳德·特朗普给了你需要的一切。”
法官亚瑟·恩戈伦(Arthur Engoron)周三拒绝取消藐视法庭令,并设定下周五为特朗普遵守命令的最后期限。
“我觉得藐视法庭令是必要的,可以让被告,特别是特朗普先生,遵守他的义务。我觉得这是因为我认为有些拖后腿或误解,”恩戈伦说。"保留藐视法庭令是完成工作最简单、最有效的方法."
哈巴质疑特朗普是否仍然因为他的身份而被蔑视。然而,恩戈伦坚持说,他的决定中没有任何个人因素。
纽约司法部长莱蒂夏·詹姆斯(Letitia James)辩称,她的办公室在调查特朗普和特朗普集团如何对该州的房地产进行估值时,发现了欺诈的“重要证据”。调查正在审查特朗普集团是否以不同方式对其持有的资产进行欺诈或误导性估值,以获得一系列经济利益,包括贷款、保险和税收减免。
一;一个上诉法院裁定5月下旬,特朗普家族的三名成员必须出庭作证。特朗普于6月1日提起上诉。
特朗普一再否认有任何不当行为。
Donald Trump, children to testify under oath in real estate investigation barring court stay
Former PresidentDonald Trump, his eldest son and eldest daughter have agreed to sit for depositions as part of a civil investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office next month unless the state's highest court intervenes, according to a stipulation filed Wednesday.
Absent court intervention, former President Trump, Donald Trump Jr. andIvanka Trumpwill appear for testimony beginning July 15, and concluding by the following week, the stipulation said.
A state appellate courtruled in Maythat the subpoenas for their testimony were not, as the Trumps argued, part of a politically motivated investigation into how the family valued its real estate holdings.
The stipulation gave the Trumps until Monday to file for a stay to the Court of Appeals.
The development came as the AG's office, at a hearing in the case, accused the former president of sending their investigators on a "wild goose chase" during the probe's discovery process.
UN report: Ukraine war is increasing suffering
of millions
"I am both frustrated and perplexed by the fact that we are where we are," said Andrew Amer of the New York AG's office at Wednesday's hearing. "The Trump Organization is a large and sophisticated real estate firm that is no stranger to litigation. I just don't understand why it has been so difficult to get basic information."
In April a judgeheld Trump in contemptfor failing to properly respond to the attorney general's subpoena for records.
The attorney general's office is specifically seeking copies of the Trump Organization's document retention and destruction policies for each of the company's departments.
"At the end of the day, your honor, this really shouldn't be a wild goose chase to obtain what is basic information in the discovery process," Amer said.
Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, insisted that her client has already turned over six million pages of documents and said it feels like "we're being held at gun point" by investigators.
"The contempt should be purged and removed," Habba said. "Donald Trump gave you everything you needed."
Judge Arthur Engoron declined to lift the contempt order Wednesday, and set a deadline of next Friday for Trump to comply.
"I felt that a contempt order was necessary to get the respondents, particularly Mr. Trump, to comply with his obligations. I felt that because of what I considered to be some foot dragging or some misunderstandings," Engoron said. "Leaving the contempt order in place is the simplest, most effective way to get the job done."
Habba questioned whether Trump was still being held in contempt because of who he is. Engoron, however, insisted he has left anything personal out of his decisions.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has argued her office has found "significant evidence" of fraud in the investigation into how Trump and the Trump Organization valued real estate holdings in the state. The investigation is reviewing whether the Trump Organization used fraudulent or misleading valuations of its holdings in different ways to obtain a host of economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions.
Anappellate court had ruledin late May that the three members of the Trump family must sit for a deposition in the case. Trump filed an appeal on June 1.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.