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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Ed Pilkington in New York

What does it mean to ‘plead the fifth’ – and will Donald Trump do it?

Donald Trump. Invoking your right not to answer a question in a criminal case says nothing about your guilt, and no inference may be drawn from it.
Donald Trump. Invoking your right not to answer a question in a criminal case says nothing about your guilt, and no inference may be drawn from it. Photograph: Reuters

Donald Trump and his two eldest children have been ordered by a New York judge to appear for a deposition within 21 days, as part of an investigation into the Trump family finances. The development presents the former US president with a dilemma: should he invoke his right to silence by pleading the fifth?

What does ‘pleading the fifth’ mean?

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