Mobsters, Trump and invoking the 5th Amendment
Chido Nwangwu writes about the civil investigation of former US President Donald Trump’s businesses by New York Attorney General
It was an unusual turn and twist in history for the extraodinarily talented marketing guru.
This provocatively partisan political man and real estate businessman is almost equally liked/loved as he is disliked/hated, at least, in the U.S.
He is seen by his millions of his passionate supporters as an icon fit to check the excesses of the permissive secularist liberals. And, to those “left wing” liberals, he is a hypocritical, double-speaking, false conservative!
I know that Trump is a very divisive man who embodies all manner of controversies. The leader of a movement is frankly loquacious and sometimes petty. To use a very familiar, simple characterization: Trump talks too much!
Ironically, on Wednesday August 10, 2022, the same man who is the immediate former President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, invoked the Fifth Amendment during his deposition under oath as part of the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances/business.
Trump showed up for his long-delayed, court-ordered deposition that Wednesday morning for New York Attorney General Letitia James’ inquiry into his Manhattan-based real estate and golf resort empire.
As a man who never miss an opportunity to attack his “opponents” and “enemies”, Trump released a statement about Letitia James, an African-American. He claimed that James “literally campaigned on prosecuting Donald Trump even before she knew anything about me.” On this delicate issue of pleading the 5th amendment and refusing to answer in order to invoke his right against self-incrimination, you may recall that in September, 2016 during his campaign fight with Hillary Clinton (former First Lady and former Secretary of State), he raised criminal and dubious intent against Clinton’s aides who, at the time, invoked the Fifth Amendment during Republican-led probes into Clinton’s use of a private email server.
Trump who later emerged winner of the election, famously said at the time “The mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”
In August 2022, he’s singing a different tune. Here: “I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors and the Fake News Media, you have no choice.”
Regardless of his preferred option, the State of New York has stated that its “Attorney General James will pursue the facts and the law wherever they may lead.”
On August 8, agents of the FBI searched Trump’s home and office at his luxury Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. They, reportedly, left with some documents.
As FBI agents searched ex-President Trump’s residence, he said “These are dark times for our nation”
USAfricaonline.com reported that Trump, a Republican, is facing various issues from the US Congress, US Justice Department and some States regarding alleged actions and insurrections which sought to overturn a legitimate, constitutional election (of President Joe Biden, a Democrat). Biden defeated Trump.
There are other complicated financial matters he is being investigated for — especially in New York.
Significantly and sensibly, on Wednesday August 10, 2022, Trump chose not to be the old, familiar motor-mouth who will reply to even a casual comment by a city dog-catcher!
-Dr Nwangwu, is Founder & Publisher of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline.com, and established USAfrica in 1992 in Houston.
Follow him @Chido247
