Take the 5th? The choice could soon be Trump’s in NY probe

NEW YORK — To plead the Fifth, or not to plead the Fifth? “The problem with appearing — at least as his lawyers will see it — is that Trump can’t be controlled and he’s likely to say things that will cause more trouble for him and his family.” Trump’s own lawyers acknowledged during a court hearing Thursday that the former president faces risks by sitting down with attorneys heading up an investigation he long has derided as a “witch hunt.” James, a Democrat, says her investigation has uncovered evidence Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of his assets to get loans and tax benefits. Last year, the district attorney’s office charged Trump’s company and longtime finance chief in what prosecutors called a “sweeping and audacious” tax fraud scheme. Trump would not be afforded “a blanket assertion” of his Fifth Amendment right but be required to invoke it “individually for each question that’s being asked,” said David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor. He also has shown flashes of irritability or condescension, including once deriding an attorney for what he said were “very stupid questions.” One subject Trump became especially accustomed to was questions about assessments of his wealth and the value of his properties — areas of particular interest in the New York civil inquiry.