Eric Trump to Be Deposed Within 2 Weeks

He'll give testimony on Trump Organization business practices
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 24, 2020 7:00 AM CDT
Eric Trump to Be Deposed Within 2 Weeks
Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, greets supporters at a campaign rally, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Saco, Maine.   (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

President Trump's son Eric has until Oct. 7 to speak to New York investigators probing his family's business practices, a judge ruled Wednesday, rejecting his lawyers' contention that his "extreme travel schedule" on the campaign trail warranted a delay until after the November election. State Judge Arthur Engoron said Eric Trump, an executive at the family's Trump Organization, had no legal basis to postpone a subpoena seeking his deposition testimony under oath, concluding that neither the probe nor the court were "bound by the timelines of the national election," per the AP. New York Attorney General Letitia James went to court to enforce the subpoena after Eric Trump's lawyers abruptly canceled a July interview with investigators looking into whether the Trump Organization lied about the value of its assets in order to get loans or tax benefits. The investigation is civil in nature and investigators have yet to determine whether any law was broken.

James, a Democrat, said the ruling "makes clear that no one is above the law, not even an organization or an individual with the name Trump." In a court filing last week, Eric Trump's lawyers said he was willing to comply with the subpoena, but could do so only after the Nov. 3 election. In addition to scheduling conflicts related to his father's reelection campaign, they said they wanted "to avoid the use of his deposition attendance for political purposes." Lawyers had proposed four dates for him to testify, the earliest being Nov. 19. Matthew Colangelo, a lawyer for the attorney general's office, countered that Eric Trump's lawyers were seeking a delay "simply on the grounds of personal inconvenience to the witness" rather than any legal grounds. Any deposition would happen out of public view and would likely remain confidential because of the ongoing investigation.

(More Eric Trump stories.)

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