A New York state judge on Wednesday ordered President Donald Trump’s second son, Eric Trump, to submit to a deposition no later than October 7 amid investigations into the Trump family’s real estate transactions.
Trump was initially served with a subpoena for his testimony in May 2020 by the Attorney General of the State of New York, Letitia James. James “seeks to compel the production of documents and testimony allegedly relevant to its ongoing investigation into potential fraud or illegality by respondent the Trump Organization and related entities.” Specifically, she is investigating whether the Trump Organization “improperly inflated the value of certain of its assets on various financial statements” to qualify for tax and other financial benefits. The investigation began after allegations of wrongdoing by the Trump Organization surfaced during congressional testimony by the President’s former attorney, Michael Cohen.
After committing to appear, Trump withdrew and now seeks to delay his deposition until after Election Day, on November 3. In response to his withdrawal, James petitioned the court to compel his appearance on schedule. The court agreed, writing that “Mr. Trump cites no authority in support of his request, and, in any event, neither [the Attorney General] nor this court is bound by the timelines of the national election.”
The court also ordered the Trump Organization and several of its associate entities to turn over documents and emails related to four separate properties under scrutiny by October 2.