On Thursday, an appeals court ruled former President Trump must testify in the New York attorney general probe into his business practices.
A four-judge panel for the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court unanimously ruled against Trump’s appeal in the case. The former president argued the investigation is politically motivated.
The Hill reports:
“OAG began its investigation after public testimony of a senior corporate insider and reviewed significant volumes of evidence before issuing the subpoenas,” the panel wrote in its decision, using an acronym for the Office of Attorney General. “Appellants have not identified any similarly implicated corporation that was not investigated or any executives of such a corporation who were not deposed. Therefore, appellants have failed to demonstrate that they were treated differently from any similarly situated persons.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who’s conducting a civil investigation into potential fraud at the Trump Organization, applauded the decision.
“Once again, the courts have ruled that Donald Trump must comply with our lawful investigation into his financial dealings,” James said in a statement. “We will continue to follow the facts of this case and ensure that no one can evade the law.”
Trump had appealed a lower court ruling ordering him to provide testimony and documents to James’s office. Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump in contempt earlier this month for failing to comply with the order to provide to business records to the investigators.