A judge ruled Thursday that former President Donald Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter Ivanka Trump must sit for depositions as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation of the Trump Organization.
The three Trumps were seeking court protection from subpoenas James issued in December.
There’s “significant evidence” to suggest Trump and his business “falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit,” James wrote in a court filing last month.
In other words:
The Trumps will appeal the ruling, but for now it means they’ll need to appear for questioning, and anything they say or do — including invoking the Fifth Amendment — can be used in the concurrent criminal investigation into Trump’s business in New York City.
As Trump might say: “SAD!”
Even sadder was Trump attorney Alina Habba’s argument for why her client shouldn’t be deposed. She claimed Trump’s political views make him part of a “protected class,” referring to legal protections that ensure people don’t face discrimination based on things like race, disability, nationality or religion.
Yes, he’s behaved like a self-proclaimed prophet, but Trumpism still isn’t a protected religion.
Political ideology — or however you describe Trumpism — isn’t on the list, as New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron said Thursday.
“We all went to law school and read the cases about protected classes,” Engoron said. “The traditional protected classes are race, religion, etc. Donald Trump doesn’t fit that kind of mode or model. He’s not being discriminated against based on race, is he? Or religion, is he? He’s not a protected class. If Ms. James has a thing against him, that’s not, in my understanding, unlawful discrimination.”
It was a reminder that Trump, too, is subject to the law. And that reality is sure to strike at Trump’s god complex. For all intents and purposes, he’s acted like he’s created an entirely new class of human — one centered on him. Yes, he’s behaved like a self-proclaimed prophet, but Trumpism still isn’t a protected religion. Yes, he’s called his investigators “racist,” but Trumpism isn’t a protected race. Yes, he’s conflated his interests with the country’s interests, but Trumpism isn’t a nationality. It’s obvious Trump shouldn’t be allowed to use the political facade he’s created to shield himself and his family from investigations. And barring an appeal in the New York City case, he won’t.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog. Recommended
