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u.s. news Diabierna 27 Mei 2022

Trump loses appeal, must testify in New York civil probe

By MICHAEL R. SISAK have pleaded not guilty.
Associated Press Thursday's appellate court
NEW YORK (AP) — For- ruling was the latest in a flur-
mer President Donald Trump ry of legal activity involving
must answer questions under Trump and the attorney gen-
oath in the New York attor- eral's investigation in the last
ney general's civil investiga- few weeks.
tion into his business prac- Last week, Trump paid
tices, a state appeals court $110,000 in fines and met
ruled Thursday, rejecting his several other conditions as
argument that he be excused he seeks to end a contempt
from testifying because his of court order Engoron is-
answers could be used in a sued on April 25 after he was
parallel criminal probe. slow to respond to another
A four-judge panel in the ap- subpoena from James seek-
pellate division of the state's ing documents and other evi-
trial court upheld Judge Ar- dence.
thur Engoron's Feb. 17 rul- On Monday, James' of-
ing, which enforced subpoe- fice said it had subpoenaed
nas requiring that Trump and Trump's longtime execu-
his two eldest children — tive assistant, Rhona Graff,
Ivanka and Donald Jr. — give and planned to question her
deposition testimony in At- under oath next week in the
torney General Letitia James' probe.
probe. Meanwhile, a federal judge in
"The existence of a criminal New York is expected to rule
investigation does not pre- soon in a lawsuit Trump filed
clude civil discovery of relat- "Once again, the courts have a politically motivated "witch allowing the attorney gen- against James in December
ed facts, at which a party may ruled that Donald Trump hunt." eral's office to do so, and said in an attempt to shut down
exercise the privilege against must comply with our lawful In appealing Engoron's sub- the Trumps could always in- her investigation. Trump's
self-incrimination," the ap- investigation into his finan- poena ruling, his lawyers ar- voke their Fifth Amendment lawyers want an injunction to
pellate panel wrote, citing the cial dealings," James said in gued that James, a Democrat, right against self-incrimina- halt the probe. James' office
Fifth Amendment to the U.S. a written statement. "We will was engaging in "selective tion — as Trump's son Eric is seeking to throw out the
Constitution and other legal continue to follow the facts prosecution." The appellate did hundreds of times in a lawsuit.
protections for witnesses. of this case and ensure that panel rejected that, saying 2020 deposition. At a May 13 hearing in the
Lawyers for the Trumps no one can evade the law." the investigation was on sol- Appellate Court Judge Ro- federal case, a lawyer for
agreed in March that they James has said her investiga- id legal footing and that the lando T. Acosta appeared to James' office said it was
would sit for depositions tion has uncovered evidence Trumps showed no evidence agree with that position, fore- "nearing the end" of the
within 14 days of an appel- Trump's company, the Trump they or their company were shadowing Thursday's ruling probe and that "there's clearly
late panel decision upholding Organization, used "fraudu- "treated differently" than oth- as he questioned Futerfas been a substantial amount of
Engoron's ruling. They could lent or misleading" valuations er companies under similar from the bench. evidence" to support a civil
also appeal the decision to of assets like golf courses scrutiny. Anything Trump says in a enforcement proceeding, al-
the state's highest court, the and skyscrapers to get loans A lawyer for the Trumps, civil deposition in James' though a final determination
Court of Appeals, delaying and tax benefits. Ivanka and Alan Futerfas, told the appel- investigation could be used hasn't been made.
the matter and the Trumps' Donald Trump Jr. have both late panel in oral arguments against him in the crimi- Since James' investigation
potential testimony indefi- been executives in the Trump on May 11 that James ap- nal probe being overseen by is civil in nature, she could
nitely. Organization and are among peared to be using civil sub- Manhattan District Attorney end up bringing a lawsuit and
A message seeking comment their father's most trusted al- poenas to get around a New Alvin Bragg. seeking financial penalties
was left with lawyers for the lies. York law that requires im- Last summer, spurred by evi- against Trump or his compa-
Trumps. The appellate panel, in its rul- munity for people testifying dence uncovered by James' ny, or even a ban on them be-
James lauded the ruling, ing, described the investiga- before a criminal grand jury. office, the DA's office charged ing involved in certain types
which came just two weeks tion as focusing on whether Judith Vale, arguing on behalf the Trump Organization and of businesses.
after the appellate panel the Trumps "committed per- of James' office, countered its longtime finance chief, That's what happened in Jan-
heard oral arguments in the sistent fraud in their financial there was ample evidence Allen Weisselberg, with tax uary when a judge barred ex-
case. She tweeted that her practices and disclosures." from the civil investigation fraud, alleging he collected drug company CEO Martin
investigation "will continue Trump, a Republican, denies to support subpoenas for the more than $1.7 million in Shkreli from the pharmaceu-
undeterred because no one is the allegations and has said Trumps' testimony. off-the-books compensation. tical industry for life.
above the law." James' investigation in part of She also cited legal precedent Weisselberg and the company

Justices won't block Biden policy on 'social cost of carbon'

WASHINGTON (AP) from greenhouse gas emis- use an interim standard of
— The Supreme Court on sions when creating rules for $51 in damages per ton of
Thursday allowed the Biden polluting industries. carbon dioxide emitted while
administration to use a higher The approach uses the "so- it works to update and possi-
estimate, challenged by Re- cial cost of carbon" to calcu- bly increase the cost per ton.
publican-led states, for calcu- late future climate damages The $51 figure was used by
lating damages to people and to justify tougher restrictions the Obama administration
the environment from green- for fossil fuels, transportation before the Trump adminis-
house gas emissions. and other industries. tration cut it to $7.
The justices did not com- The federal appeals court in By itself, the estimate does
ment in refusing to put back New Orleans put the order not impose any new require-
in place an order from a fed- on hold and Louisiana led ments, but it could be used
eral judge in Louisiana that nine states in asking the high to justify tougher rules. The
had blocked the administra- court to in to intervene. states would be free to chal-
tion from putting greater em- The justices' refusal to do so lenge any new regulations.
phasis on potential damage allows the administration to