“I refused to answer questions about the rights and privileges granted to all citizens under the United States Constitution,” Trump said in a statement.

The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution protects against self-incrimination.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James is investigating whether the Trump Organization inflated the value of assets. Trump and his two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. Ivanka Trump also tried unsuccessfully to avoid testifying.

The prosecutor said his investigation uncovered significant evidence that the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate, overstated asset values ​​to get favorable loans and understated values ​​to get tax breaks.

Trump, a Republican, has denied wrongdoing and called the New York investigation politically motivated. James is a Democrat.

“I once asked, ‘If you are innocent, why do you accept the Fifth Amendment? You have become the target of a baseless, politically motivated witch hunt, supported by lawyers, prosecutors and the fake news media, and you have no choice.’

He added: “If there was any doubt in my mind, the FBI raid on my home, Mar-a-Lago, on Monday, two days before this testimony, dispelled any uncertainty. This country has lost all moral and ethical bounds of decency by the current administration and many prosecutors.

The FBI search of Trump’s Florida properties on Monday is an escalation of a federal investigation into whether White House documents were illegally disposed of when Trump leaves office in January 2021.

Neither a spokesman for the attorney general nor Trump’s lawyer immediately responded to a request for comment.

Trump raised his fist and wore a blue suit with a flag pin on his lapel as he left Trump Tower on Wednesday morning, before heading to the attorney general’s office in Manhattan. New York City police and Secret Service officers stood guard as the motorcade carrying Trump arrived.

“I have done nothing wrong, which is why after a five-year search by the federal, state and local governments and the fake news media, nothing has been found,” Trump said in a statement. Testimony is not public.