President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he refused to answer questions while appearing in a New York attorney general's civil probe into alleged fraud at the Trump Organization.
According to a statement posted to his social media site, Trump asserted his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination when speaking under oath.
"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 the statement.
"I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution," Trump added.
He went on to repeat claims of a "witch hunt" and spent several paragraphs issuing an attack against the attorney general, Letitia James, who, he said, is only attacking him because of politics.
Trump is being investigated over allegations that he artificially inflated the size and value of his properties, which resulted in the value of properties being greater than the actual value when applying for additional capital or bank loans.
When he applied for tax breaks, documents obtained by reporter David Fahrenthold showed that he deflated the size of properties and buildings from the bank loans. At the same time, many members of Trump's staff were given gifts like cars, and homes in Trump Tower or family members were hired or given perks.
"You see the mob takes the Fifth," he once said publicly. "If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?"
