Trump claims investigations into him are politically motivated. That is a lie

‘Trump and his loyalists are setting up the idea that any attempt to hold Trump and his allies accountable for illegal activities – including the attempt to overturn the 2020 election and thereby destroy our democracy – is a partisan attack.’ Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

Last week, Judge Arthur F Engoron of the supreme court of the state of New York ruled that former president Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr, and his daughter Ivanka Trump must produce documents and testify under oath in a civil investigation into their valuations of their business assets, complying with a subpoena New York attorney general Letitia James issued for their testimony in December.

The Trumps can invoke their rights under the fifth amendment to the constitution not to incriminate themselves. This is what Eric Trump did more than 500 times in October 2020, when he testified before members of the attorney general’s office. In a civil trial, however, invoking the fifth can be interpreted negatively.