Donald Trump answers all questions at 2nd deposition in stark contrast to 1st

Former President Donald Trump defended his real estate business during a seven-hour deposition with New York Attorney General Letitia James, defying expectations that he would plead his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination as he did the first time he was questioned.

“He answered every question and as we have said from day one there is absolutely no case,” his lawyer Alina Habba said Thursday in a text message hours after the deposition in Lower Manhattan wrapped up.

Delaney Kempner, a spokesman for James, declined to comment.

James, who was in the room, read a prepared statement at the start of the session, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Trump signaled early in the morning that he was potentially going to answer questions, saying in a social media post that he was eager to explain his successful real estate business.

James previously deposed Trump in August, as she was wrapping up her three-year investigation into the former president’s business dealings. At the time, he pleaded his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination for every question, except when asked to confirm his name.

The New York attorney general sued Trump, three of his children and his company in September for $250 million, alleging they inflated the value of his assets for years to dupe banks and insurers into giving them better terms. James, a Democrat who campaigned on promises to go after Trump, is seeking penalties including a permanent ban on the four Trumps running companies in New York.

Thursday’s deposition was Trump’s second excursion to New York in less than two weeks. He appeared in court less than a mile away on April 4 to plead not guilty in a criminal case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump is accused in that case of falsifying business records to hide a hush-money payment to a porn star.