Trump must answer questions under oath in civil probe, appeals court rules

NEW YORK - Former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.A four-judge panel in the appellate division of the state’s trial court upheld Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb.

17 ruling enforcing subpoenas for Trump and his two eldest children to give deposition testimony in Attorney General Letitia James' probe.Trump had appealed, seeking to overturn the ruling.

His lawyers argued that ordering the Trumps to testify violated their constitutional rights because their answers could be used in a parallel criminal investigation."The existence of a criminal investigation does not preclude civil discovery of related facts, at which a party may exercise the privilege against self-incrimination," the four-judge panel wrote, citing the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.An attorney who investigated Donald Trump says he believes the former president is guilty of numerous felonies.Message seeking comment were left with lawyers for the Trumps and with James' office.

The Trumps could still appeal the ruling to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.James, a Democrat, has said her investigation has uncovered evidence Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, used "fraudulent or misleading" valuations of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax benefits.Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app!  |  Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters"Once again, the courts have ruled that Donald Trump must comply with our lawful investigation into his financial dealings," said Attorney General James in a statement to the media.