China News Service, February 2nd, "the same answer", "the same answer", "the same answer"...
Recently, CBS exposed a video of former U.S. President Trump accepting evidence from the prosecution in August 2022 in connection with his financial fraud investigation.
Surprising but seemingly expected, Trump made the above answer.
According to statistics, in order to refuse to answer relevant questions, he invoked the provisions of the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution more than 400 times.
Image source: Screenshot of CBS report
"You'd be a fool if you didn't"
On August 10, 2022, Trump appeared in the New York State Attorney General's Office in Manhattan and accepted evidence collection for about 4 hours after being sworn in.
The video, released by CBS, is about 37 minutes long and includes some transcripts of the testimony.
In the conference room, Trump, dressed in a dark blue suit, red tie and American flag badge, sat in front of the camera.
He first "politely" answered the opening question raised by James Lexia, Attorney General of New York State.
When James Lexia asked him if he was familiar with the testimonial rules, he replied "yes."
The picture shows a screenshot of Trump's testimony video.
Image source: CBS video screenshot
After the preliminary questions, Trump had the opportunity to read a prepared statement, CBS said.
He opened with a line that is quite familiar to the outside world: "This is the greatest political persecution in the history of our country."
He also called James "a rebellious and out-of-control prosecutor" and accused his office of politically motivated investigations into his financial practices.
Trump also said in the video, "The whole thing is very unfair. Anyone who is in my situation and does not invoke the Fifth Amendment is a fool, an absolute fool." According to the provisions of the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution , no one shall be compelled to testify against himself.
He added that, on the advice of his lawyers, "in accordance with the rights and privileges accorded to every citizen by the United States Constitution, I respectfully decline to answer the questions posed."
"This will be my answer to any further questions."
"Same answer" said over 400 times...
As the questioning officially began, Trump kept citing the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution to answer, and it lasted for about 4 hours.
Kevin Wallace, senior law enforcement attorney for the U.S. Attorney General's Office, said the testimony was "lengthy" and that "obviously, we disagree with many of the characterizations."
Wallace even had to tell Trump he could say "Same answer" to "speed things up."
According to documents submitted to the court by the New York Attorney General, Trump not only did so during the complete questioning process, but also as many as 400 times.
During one of the question sessions, Wallace asked about the status of Trump's annual financial statements since 2011.
"The valuation contained in the document reflects a false and misleading valuation statement. Correct?" Wallace asked.
"Same answer (Same answer)." Trump replied.
Did Wallace "know" that the documents "contain false and misleading statements"?
"Same answer (Same answer)." Trump replied.
The US media noticed that in the process of answering questions, Trump crossed his arms, leaned forward, and seemed to study the financial documents Wallace gave him.
When Wallace threw questions about Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's former chief financial officer, and Jeffrey McConney, the current corporate controller, the answer was still the same.
"From at least 2005 to the present, you have had an ongoing agreement with Weisselberg and McConney that they would include in their statements of financial condition valuations based on false and misleading assumptions as a means of inflating reported values. Right?" Wallace asked.
Trump replied again, "Same answer (Same answer)."
According to CBS reports, after the testimony, Trump issued a public statement saying that he had exercised his Fifth Amendment rights and refused to answer.
A lawyer for Trump declined to comment on the released video.
The picture shows a screenshot of Trump's testimony video.
Image source: CBS video screenshot
"Endless Witch Hunt"
Over the years, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York has launched a series of investigations into Trump and his family's real estate business.
Leslie James, a Democrat, is asking the court to bar Trump and his three adult children from running any New York-based companies and is seeking to fine them at least $250 million.
The trial date is October 2.
Earlier in January, the Trump Organization had been fined $1.6 million for "conducting a 15-year tax fraud".
In addition, Weisselberger, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was sentenced to five months in prison for participating in a tax fraud scheme.
The Trump Organization has denied any wrongdoing and said it will appeal.
"These politically motivated prosecutors will stop at nothing to capture Trump and perpetuate the endless witch hunt that began on the day he became president," the Trump Organization said in a statement.
At present, Trump is also involved in a number of criminal and civil investigations, involving interference in the 2020 presidential election counting and improper handling of confidential documents.
Trump has frequently attacked the investigations as politically motivated.