Former President Donald Trump must testify in New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil investigation into his business practices, a judge ruled Thursday, per The Associated Press.
The judge, Arthur Engoron, ordered Trump, as well as his two eldest children — Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. — to comply with James' December-issued subpoenas and sit for a deposition within 21 days.
Should Engoron's ruling be upheld (and it is "almost certain to be appealed," AP writes), it could "force the former president into a tough decision about whether to answer questions, or stay silent, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination."
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James' long-running civil probe into the Trump Organization centers around whether the company misled lenders by inflating the value of its assets. Meanwhile, the Manhattan district attorney's office is leading a concurrent criminal investigation.
Trump's testimony in the civil investigation could be used against him in the criminal investigation, AP notes. Another one of the ex-president's children — Eric Trump — as well as former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg have previously sat for depositions in the civil investigation, where they "invoked their Fifth Amendment rights hundreds of times."
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