Donald Trump is set to give his second deposition in a New York fraud lawsuit on Thursday. Will the man who once said that pleading the Fifth Amendment was for the “mob” lean into the silence it affords? He did plead the Fifth Amendment more than 440 times in his previous deposition in front of the New York attorney general’s lawyers. This time, CBS News reports that a source has told them that the Donald will not clam up. I’ll believe it when I see it, and all of that!
Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into the Trump Organization includes allegations of wide-reaching and fully organized fraudulent activities. According to the attorney general’s office, the Trump Organization routinely inflated property sizes and values to pull in extra tax money and receive loan benefits. An example: One of Trump's many real estate holdings, a triplex apartment, was 10,996 square feet in size—and “documents confirming that fact were signed by Mr. Trump himself in 2012.” But in 2015 and 2016, tax documents listed the size of that property at 30,000 square feet. In all, “Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg admitted that the value of Mr. Trump’s apartment was overstated by ‘give or take’ $200 million.”
With the likelihood that Trump will face new indictments in the future, a defamation trial from a woman who alleges Trump raped her, and a second deposition impending, the MAGA world probably fully expects their fearless leader to remain as cool as a cucumber. It’s not like he’s a ranting windbag of misery and anxiety at every waking moment. Oh, no, I wrote that wrong: He is exactly that.
RELATED STORY: Man who said the Fifth Amendment was for the 'mob,' pleads it more than 440 times
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On Thursday, maybe feeling a bit anxious, Trump went to his Truth Social account to rant away, writing:
“Just arrived in Manhattan for a deposition in front of New York State's RACIST, TRUMP HATING Attorney General, Letitia ‘Peekaboo’ James, in another unjust & ridiculous persecution of The 45th President of the United States. I built a GREAT & prosperous company, employed thousands of people, built magnificent structures all over the World, but particularly in New York, & now have to prove it to this LOWLIFE who campaigned on a ‘I will get Trump’ platform, even before knowing anything about me!”
We all know about you. You don’t have to do any meaningful investigation to know all about Donald Trump. Trump wasn’t done not freaking out, adding:
“I will be heading downtown to meet a Racist who leaked that I would be there at 9:30 A.M. The leak makes it much more difficult for the Police and Secret Service to do their job. This civil case is ridiculous, just like all of the other Election Interference cases being brought against me. If I had a fair judge, this case would have never happened. MAGA!”
Sounds like someone is also stressing out about the suspected next indictment coming down the pike for them in Georgia.
Just like Thursday’s deposition won’t be his first, neither is this the first time Trump has attacked Attorney General James by calling her a “racist.” When the attorney general’s office first filed the lawsuit against the Trump organization, Trump wrote: “Another Witch Hunt by a racist Attorney General, Letitia James, who failed in her run for Governor, getting almost zero support from the public.”
Someone did some research on Trump’s claims that Letitia James “leaked” this information to the press.
And here’s a more moviefied distillation of Trump.
Enjoy this walk down memory lane, with five times the Donald gave his ranting righteous indignant ranting treatment to people pleading the Fifth.
And here is a possible preview of what is happening behind closed doors as we speak.
RELATED STORY: Trump pleads Fifth Amendment in New York civil probe of Trump Organization
On today’s episode, Markos and Kerry are joined by a friend of the podcast, Democratic political strategist Simon Rosenberg. Rosenberg was one of the few outsiders who, like Daily Kos, kept telling the world that nothing supported the idea of a red wave. Simon and the crew break down his strategy for Democratic candidates to achieve a 55% popular vote in all elections—a number that a few years ago would have seemed unattainable, but now feels within reach.