Donald Trump will return to New York for a deposition in Attorney General Letitia James’ multi-million dollar civil lawsuit

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NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Former President Donald Trump will return to New York City for the second time in just over a week to sit for a deposition.

This deposition is part of a civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, over allegations that the Trump organization falsified financial statements to obtain loans.

Trump is trying to delay the start of the trial in the civil case but the judge said the October start is firm “come hell or high water.”

The last time Trump sat down for a deposition, he turned to James and briefly smiled as he began to escort him out on Aug. 10, video of the deposition obtained by ABC News showed.

The video, obtained in January, represents the first time the public has seen portions of hours-long depositions that preceded James’ $250 million civil lawsuit filed against Trump, his eldest children, his business and its top executives for increasing his net worth.

The civil case is separate from the criminal case being brought by District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump pleaded not guilty last week to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Now, in a rare move, Bragg sued the chairman of the House judiciary committee and Trump loyalist, Jim Jordan, to stop his investigation of Bragg’s office.

“Alvin Bragg used federal funds to charge a former president with no crime and when we ask about it, when we want to investigate, he takes us to court,” Jordan said.

Trump spoke again on Fox News on Tuesday night where he said that all of these legal problems, along with this James deposition, will not stop his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump initially opposed James for filing the lawsuit against him. But Trump withdrew the lawsuit in January after US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks warned Trump’s legal team that the lawsuit appeared close to frivolous.

In a separate civil trial set to begin in just days, writer E Jean Carroll alleges that Trump pushed her into a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room 23 years ago and raped her. She filed a defamation and battery charge after Trump accused her of lying.

His lawyers argue the “deluge” of media coverage of his recent indictment on 34 criminal charges makes fairness impossible.

The trial was scheduled to begin on April 25 in Manhattan federal court but, in an overnight filing by Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, asked the judge for a “cooling off” period.

Trump is not required to attend the trial. The judge gave his lawyers until next week to let him know if he will.

RELATED | Trump lawsuit unsealed: Former president accused of violating election laws

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York.

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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