- Donald Trump says he invoked the Fifth Amendment in a New York civil case.
- He once questioned why an innocent person would invoke the right against self incrimination.
- "You see, the mob takes the Fifth," he said in 2018.
Former President Donald Trump's decision on Wednesday to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination comes four years after he said that's what mobsters do.
"You see the mob takes the Fifth," he said in April 2018. "If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment."
Trump declined to answer questions during a Wednesday deposition at the office of New York attorney general Tish James, who is investigating whether the Trump Organization engaged in financial fraud and violated tax, insurance, and banking laws.
Trump addressed his about-face on the Fifth in a lengthy statement.
"I once asked, 'If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?'" he said in the statement. "Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice."
Here's Trump in 2018: