E-Paper
Donald Trump's deposition in real estate business probe delayed after ex-wife's death
Donald Trump and two of his children won a brief reprieve from depositions in New York’s probe of their family real-estate business following the sudden death of the former president’s first wife, Ivana Trump.
Donald Trump and two of his children won a brief reprieve from depositions in New York’s probe of their family real-estate business following the sudden death of the former president’s first wife, Ivana Trump.
The delay was granted Friday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has been fighting for months to get Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump to answer questions under oath as part of her investigation into potentially fraudulent asset valuations at the Trump Organization.
“In light of the passing of Ivana Trump yesterday, we received a request from counsel for Donald Trump and his children to adjourn all three depositions, which we have agreed to,” James said in a statement. “This is a temporary delay and the depositions will be rescheduled as soon as possible.”
The Trumps had agreed to each sit for seven hours of sworn testimony next week after a judge rejected their attempts to quash New York’s subpoenas. Under the agreement, the depositions must be completed within one week. No new deadline was provided.
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, declined to comment.
The former president was held in contempt of court and fined $10,000 a day as part of the same investigation after he failed to properly respond to a related subpoena for documents and records in his personal possession. Trump resolved the contempt finding after racking up $110,000 in fines, which he’s appealing.
Eric Trump, the former president’s son and an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, was already deposed by state investigators in 2020 after fighting in court to delay the questioning.
The Trump Organization has long argued that James’s investigation is politically motivated, though every attempt by Trump to make that argument in court has failed. The judge overseeing the case has repeatedly held that James had a legal justification to start her probe.
Trump also sued James in federal court to try to block the investigation, alleging her well-documented animus toward him was proof that the probe violated his constitutional rights. A judge dismissed the case.
