Judicial Watch: Trump Avoids NY AG’s ‘Legal Fishing Expedition’
In this Aug. 6, 2020 file photo, New York State Attorney General Letitia James takes a question at a news conference in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Daniel Baldwin –OAN White House Correspondent
UPDATED 9:24 AM PT – Friday, August 12, 2022
In a week defined by legal battles, former President Donald Trump sidestepped one possible landmine by invoking his Fifth Amendment rights in New York Wednesday.
“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ Now I know the answer to that question,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social. “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.”
Attorney General Letitia James scheduled the deposition to question the 45th president as part of a three-year civil lawsuit regarding the Trump Organization’s business dealings, specifically whether the business improperly inflated the value of its assets. Director of Investigations at Judicial Watch, Chris Farrell praised the 45th president for this decision.
“When faced with a prosecutor who has taken such an extraordinarily aggressive position, one that arguably could result in some sort of sanction or BAR complaint against her because it’s so excessive,” explained Farrell in an exclusive interview with One America News. “It’s not unreasonable for the former president to say, ‘Look I’m not going to cooperate at all with whatever it is that you’re trying to do.’”
Farrell says given James’ past history of promising to target Trump as a prosecutor, it is a reasonable response to simply refuse to answer any questions.
“If this is some sort of legal fishing expedition, where you’re gonna ask 101 questions and just see where it goes, you don’t really have any charge or claim,” Farrell said. “You just want to get me under oath and sit me down and see how many times you can ask a certain number of questions.”
Farrell explained Trump would have been assuming significant risk by answering questions from James.
“Before my 23 years of Judicial Watch, I was a US army counterintelligence officer,” said Farrell. “And I can tell you that if I sit you down, and I interview you under oath for two hours, if I want to, I will be able to find some instance where you purportedly or allegedly would’ve engaged in some sort of, not necessarily perjury, but a contradictory statement.”
Farrell explains even the slightest word variation from the subject could open him or herself up to possible legal trouble.
“In one instance, you use the expression of, and another time you say from, and I pointed out that inconsistency in the statements,” explained Farrell. “I say, ‘You see, you’re being misleading. You’re attempting to deceive me. You’ve made a false and misleading statement to a federal law enforcement officer. I can now charge you under 18 U.S. Code § 1001.”
Under 18 U.S. Code § 1001, anyone who “makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation…shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years.” Save America Christina Bobb agreed with Farrell’s assessment in an exclusive interview with One America News saying Trump had “no obligation” to help James.
“People don’t realize that when they’re under oath,” Farrell said. “And they’re being questioned like that. Very minor discrepancies in how they’re being questioned opens the door to legal jeopardy … It’s low hanging fruit. And in theory, somebody being subjected to hours long deposition like that would open themselves up to that kind of legal exposure.”
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