Eric Trump must sit for deposition in NY investigation before Election Day, judge rules

Eric Trump, one of President Donald Trump’s sons, made his case for his father’s reelection on Tuesday, the second night of the Republican National Convention. He called this election a fight for freedom “that only my father can win.” (Aug. 26) AP Domestic

A New York judge ordered Eric Trump to sit for a deposition with state investigators before Oct. 7, denying his attempt to push it off until after Election Day.

New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron of Manhattan issued an oral ruling Wednesday siding with state Attorney General Letitia James’ office, which sued Trump over his request to delay his deposition into November or beyond.

James’ office is investigating whether President Donald Trump and his companies improperly inflated the value of four of his properties, including the massive Seven Springs estate in northern Westchester County.

The investigation is focused on whether the Trump Organization — which Eric Trump, the president’s son, now leads — and the president benefitted financially from the potentially inflated values by getting better terms on loans and boosting tax write-offs.

More: NY AG investigating whether Donald Trump inflated value of Seven Springs estate

In an online hearing Tuesday, Alan Futerfas, an attorney for Eric Trump, said his client’s seven-days-a-week campaign schedule will not allow enough time for him to prepare for a deposition in the case.

Engoron was not convinced, calling Eric Trump’s argument “unpersuasive” and ordering him to comply with the attorney general’s deposition subpoena prior to Oct. 7.

“The court is not bound by the timeline of this election,” Engoron said.

Engoron said he would sign his order later Wednesday.

James’ ongoing investigation was launched after former Trump Organization attorney Michael Cohen accused Trump of inflating his assets. Cohen laid out his accusations during testimony to Congress in March 2019.

According to court filings, the probe focuses on four major Trump properties, including the 212-acre Seven Springs estate in northern Westchester. Donald Trump had been trying to develop for years before agreeing to a conservation easement in 2015, prior to becoming president.

The court documents from August show James’ office is examining whether the Trump inflated the assessed value of the sprawling Westchester property, allowing one of his limited liability companies to claim a $21.1 million tax exemption on forms submitted to the IRS.

Jon Campbell is a New York state government reporter for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.

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