Supporting Attorney General, Judge Orders Donald Trump, Trump Jr And Ivanka Trump To Testify

Donald Trump. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - A New York judge has ruled that former United States President Donald Trump and his two adult children must answer questions under oath in the state attorney general's civil investigation into the business of their family company.

Judge Arthur Engoron of New York State Court in Manhattan ruled in favor of Attorney General Letitia James, who is seeking to enforce a subpoena to compel testimony by Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and daughter Ivanka Trump.

Engoron said James had a "clear right" to question Trump after discovering "ample evidence of possible financial fraud." Engoron directed Trump to ask questions within 21 days.

Meanwhile, Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump's children, declined to comment. Donald Trump's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The decision follows a two-hour trial, in which Trump's lawyers accused James of terminating their client's constitutional rights, seeking testimony they could use against them in a parallel criminal investigation.

Donald Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, accused James of "selective prosecution and wrongdoing this country has never seen," citing statements that reflected the attorney general's "heinous contempt" of Trump.

"If he wasn't him, he wouldn't be doing this. This court can help stop this circus," Habba said.

Meanwhile, Kevin Wallace, a lawyer from James' office, rejected the characterization.

"They haven't shown anything here that says it's unfair," Wallace said.

Last month, James said his nearly three-year investigation into the Trump Organization had uncovered significant evidence of possible fraud.

He described what he called misleading statements about the values of the 'Trump Brand' and six Trump properties, saying the company may have raised real estate values to get bank loans, reduced them to lower the tax bill.

The investigation partially overlaps with a criminal probe now led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, in which the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer pleaded not guilty last July to tax fraud charges. James joined the investigation last May.

Trump, who has yet to announce whether he will run for president again in 2024, has called the James investigation a political "witch hunt" and demanded to try to stop it.

The hearing follows a decision last week by Trump's longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, to cut ties with him and the Trump Organization, saying it could no longer stand behind a decade of financial reporting.

Separately, Donald Trump's attorney said he didn't know enough to respond to allegations of inaccurate judgment, though Trump detailed some of the possible differences in a five-page statement on Tuesday.

To note, Donald Trump's family is not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

The Washington DC Attorney General is separately suing the Trump Organization and Trump's inaugural committee for alleged misappropriation of $1.1 million in charitable funds. The September 26 trial date was set for Thursday.