Litigation is coming? Prosecutors in New York asked Trump to testify in a civil fraud investigation

According to the US Chinese Network, people familiar with the matter said that New York State Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to have former President Trump testify in early 2022 as part of her civil investigation into potential fraud by the Trump Group.

Ms. Zhan had asked Trump to testify at his New York office on Jan. 7 next year, the inquiry was about whether the Trump Organization had committed financial fraud in the valuation of different entities, people familiar with the matter said.

According to the New York Times analysis, Trump's lawyers can ask the judge to block the collection of evidence, on the grounds that Trump's testimony may be unfairly used against him in criminal investigations, violating his constitutional right not to self-incriminate. If the judge were on Ms. Zhan's side, Mr. Trump could also invoke the rights granted by the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer questions.

But while the decision to invoke constitutional rights cannot be used against Trump in criminal investigations, it could be detrimental to Ms. Zhan in civil investigations, so Trump may also choose to obey subpoenas and answer questions from prosecutors in New York.

In its investigation, New York State prosecutors are reviewing financial statements related to several Trump Organization properties. Allegedly, depending on the target audience, the Trump Organization valued the same piece of land at $900,000 and $25 million, respectively. In a property on the outskirts of New York, the Trump Organization's valuation jumped from $56 million to $291 million. These valuations were all made in the five years before Trump was elected president.

Appraisers say it's highly unusual for a company to give such a different valuation to the same property at the same time.

The analysis said that the request for Trump to testify marks an escalation of the investigation into the Trump Group. If any wrongdoing is found, Zhan Lexia's office can file a lawsuit against Trump, but only in civil litigation.

Both the New York State Attorney General's Office and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office are reviewing potential violations by the Trump Organization. Manhattan prosecutors have called a new grand jury to consider bringing criminal charges against the company for financial practices, people familiar with the matter said.

Earlier this year, in a joint investigation with Manhattan District Attorney Vance, Ms. Zhan accused Mr. Wesselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Group, and two corporate entities of Trump, of tax offenses.

In that case, prosecutors accused Wesselberg of hiding some of his own pay — as well as those of other Trump executives — from tax authorities in order to lower the taxes they owed. Prosecutors claim that Weselberg owed more than $900,000 in taxes over 15 years. Neither Weselberg nor The Trump Company pleaded guilty.

Trump has not been charged with any wrongdoing. He has slammed Ms. Zhan and the Manhattan prosecutors' investigation as a "political persecution," saying Democrats are suppressing themselves for political purposes.

Last year, investigators from the New York State Attorney General's Office summoned Eric, the son of a former president and a longtime Trump Organization executive. Eric followed the subpoena after the initial boycott and gave testimony last October.

In October, Trump himself underwent a 4.5-hour forensic interview in another case, the first time he had testified in a civil case since he was elected president in 2016. A group of protesters said they were brutally treated by security guards during a demonstration outside Trump Tower six years ago.