Donald Trump refused to answer questions at a deposition in a New York state probe into his businesses on Wednesday, invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination amid deepening legal woes.
Trump said in a statement that the “current administration and many prosecutors across the country have lost all moral and ethical bounds of decency”, leaving him with “no choice” but silence. The former US president’s comments followed a search of his Mar-a-Lago property in South Florida by FBI agents on Monday as part of a separate investigation.
“Accordingly, under the advice of my counsel and for all of the above reasons, I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution,” Trump said.
Trump’s refusal to answer questions under oath represents a major U-turn for the former president, who once said only guilty members of the “mob” would claim their right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment of the US constitution.
But it comes as the former president and many of his Republican followers have adopted an increasingly defiant stance, attacking US judicial and government institutions when confronted with multiple legal probes by federal and state authorities as he weighs a new bid for the presidency in 2024.
Trump had been resisting providing testimony in the civil case being brought by Letitia James, the New York state attorney-general, but had finally agreed to be deposed on Wednesday. The probe relates to allegations that Trump provided “fraudulent and misleading financial statements”, including inflated valuations of his properties.
The former president’s decision comes as a legal and political firestorm has enveloped him in the wake of Monday’s FBI raid, which was related to a separate federal investigation into his handling of classified records from his time at the White House that were found at Mar-a-Lago.
The US justice department and the FBI have so far failed to explain the rationale behind the search, the first in US history at the home of a former president. However, the move would have to have been approved by a federal judge on the basis of “probable cause” that a crime was being committed at the site of the search.
Speaking to reporters in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, FBI director Christopher Wray said: “Well, as I’m sure you can appreciate that’s not something I can talk about.”
Trump and his lawyers have harshly criticised the search as unnecessary, but they have not publicly released the warrant that would include additional details in the case.
Since the FBI raid, many Republicans have rushed to Trump’s defence and criticised US law enforcement agencies for executing a political vendetta and failing to provide any explanation for the unprecedented search, even though it is standard practice not to comment on ongoing investigations.
A group of House Republicans met with Trump on Tuesday night at his golf club in New Jersey to express their support and encourage him to plough ahead with a 2024 bid. “He is not deterred. He’s not fazed at all by what the DoJ has done to him,” Jim Banks, the Indiana Republican, told Fox News.
“House Republicans are unified more than ever before to fight alongside president Trump to save this country . . . And the sooner he gets out and starts campaigning, the better he helps Republicans in the midterm elections,” he added.
An Iranian man has been charged by the US with plotting to kill former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton.
US officials said Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRG), was in Iran and wanted over the alleged plot.
They said Mr Poursafi was likely seeking revenge for the US strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran's most powerful military commander.
Soleimani spearheaded Iranian military operations in the Middle East.
The 62-year-old headed the IRG's elite Quds Force. He was killed at Baghdad airport in Iraq in January 2020 in a strike ordered by President Donald Trump.
An Iranian government spokesperson told state media that the allegations were "baseless".
The charges detail how the Iranian operative had asked a US resident who he had met online to take pictures of Mr Bolton, allegedly for a book he was writing. The unnamed resident had then introduced Mr Poursafi to another individual who was later asked to kill Mr Bolton and provide video evidence of the murder.
In a statement, Mr Bolton thanked the FBI and the justice department for their work.
"The justice department has the solemn duty to defend our citizens from hostile governments who seek to hurt or kill them," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G Olsen.
"This is not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge against individuals on US soil and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts."
At the time of his death, Soleimani was widely seen as the second most powerful figure in Iran, behind Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, reported directly to the ayatollah and Soleimani was hailed as a heroic national figure.
But the US classifies the Quds Force as terrorists and holds them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.
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An Iranian man has been charged by the US with plotting to kill former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton.
US officials said Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRG), was in Iran and wanted over the alleged plot.
They said Mr Poursafi was likely seeking revenge for the US strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran's most powerful military commander.
Soleimani spearheaded Iranian military operations in the Middle East.
The 62-year-old headed the IRG's elite Quds Force. He was killed at Baghdad airport in Iraq in January 2020 in a strike ordered by President Donald Trump.
The charges detail how the Iranian operative had asked a US resident who he had met online to take pictures of Mr Bolton, allegedly for a book he was writing. The unnamed resident had then introduced Mr Poursafi to another individual who was later asked to kill Mr Bolton and provide video evidence of the murder.
In a statement, Mr Bolton thanked the FBI and the justice department for their work.
"The justice department has the solemn duty to defend our citizens from hostile governments who seek to hurt or kill them," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G Olsen.
"This is not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge against individuals on US soil and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts."
At the time of his death, Soleimani was widely seen as the second most powerful figure in Iran, behind Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, reported directly to the ayatollah and Soleimani was hailed as a heroic national figure.
But the US classifies the Quds Force as terrorists and holds them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.
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Crimea's health department said one civilian had been killed, while another person had been treated in hospital for moderate injuries and a further five suffered minor wounds.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and used it as a launchpad for the invasion of its neighbour in February.
Russian warplanes have used the base to strike areas in southern Ukraine.
Image:Smoke was seen rising from the direction of the air base
Moscow said the explosions were detonations of stored ammunition, and had not been caused by an attack.
Russia's main news agencies quoted an unnamed ministry source as saying that "only a violation of fire safety requirements is considered as the main reason for the explosion of several ammunition stores at the Saky airfield".
The source added: "There are no signs, evidence or, even less, facts (to indicate) a deliberate impact on ammunition stores."
There were suggestions on Ukrainian social media, however, that the base had been hit by long-range missiles fired from Ukraine.
In an apparently sarcastic post on Facebook, the Ukrainian defence ministry said: "The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine cannot establish the cause of the fire, but once again recalls the rules of fire safety and the prohibition of smoking in unspecified places."
It added: "We can't rule out that the occupiers will 'accidentally' find some characteristic 'insignia', 'visiting card' or even 'DNA'."
Since the war began, Russia has reported numerous fires and explosions at munitions storage sites on its territory near the Ukrainian border, blaming some of them on Ukrainian strikes.
The drought scorching much of the European Union is set to be the worst endured since the sixteenth century, a senior scientist at the European Commission's (EC) drought service has warned.
"At the moment... this seems to be the worst" year in 500 years, although a full analysis will need to happen retrospectively, said Andrea Toreti, senior researcher at the EC's Joint Research Centre, who compiles data for the European Drought Observatory.
"We haven't analysed fully the event, but based on my experience I think that this is perhaps even more extreme than in 2018," he said, responding to a question from Sky News during a briefing.
"2018 was so extreme that looking back at this list of the last 500 years, there were no other events similar," due to the compounding hot and dry weather, explained Mr Toreti, who published a study on historical droughts a year after the event four years ago.
That year, particularly dry and hot weather left central and northern Europe with yields of key crops up to 50% lower, but "favourable" wet conditions in southern Europe saw harvests shoot up.
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The extremely rare "seesaw" effect buffered the bloc from the impacts of the regional drought by preventing higher volatility and price spikes.
The latest data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO) shows some 47% of the bloc's territory under "warning" conditions, the second of three drought categories, during the 10 days leading to 30 July.
More worrying is the 17% of land that has moved into the most severe "alert" state, meaning not only is the soil drying out after low rain, but plants and crops are suffering too.
The EDO combines measurements taken on the ground, satellite data and imagery and complex computer modelling to paint a picture of how the territory is coping.
Italy is one of the worst affected by the current ongoing drought, declaring a state of emergency for areas surrounding the River Po, which accounts for more than a third of the country's agricultural production.
France has set up a crisis team to deal with its worst drought on record that has left parched villages without safe drinking water and farmers warning of a milk shortage in winter.
Large areas of Romania, Hungary and Ukraine are also withering, and tinderbox conditions are fuelling wildfires in Spain and Portugal.
The growing lack of water in reservoirs, rivers and stored underground means the territory now needs higher than normal rain to compensate, Mr Toreti said.
The amount of land in drought is expected to creep up further still.
"We have estimated a worsening of the situation in most of Europe," Mr Toreti said.
Climate breakdown is making drought in the Mediterranean more severe and more likely, although it is not to blame for all droughts globally.
Causes of drought are complex, but climate change affects it in two key ways. It concentrates rainfall into shorter and more intense bursts, making it harder to retain, and brings hotter temperatures which evaporates more water.
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The FBI has searched Donald Trump's estate in Florida, with the former president claiming his home was "raided" and "under siege" and that agents broke open a safe.
A senior US official said FBI agents were at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach "for the majority of the day" on Monday.
The US Justice Department has been investigating the discovery of boxes of records containing classified information that were taken to Mar-a-Lago after Mr Trump's presidency ended.
Image:FBI agents were at the property 'for the majority of the day'
Image:Agents near one of the entrances to Mar-a-Lago
They were retrieved in January by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which then asked the Justice Department to examine whether Mr Trump's handling of White House records violated federal law.
It noted that some of the boxes contained items "marked as classified national security information".
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Mr Trump earlier gave details of the operation, claiming the action represented "dark times for our nation" and was "not necessary or appropriate".
His lawyer Christina Bobb, who said she was there during the search, told NBC News some papers had been seized.
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'Unannounced raid'
Ms Bobb said Mr Trump and his team have been "cooperative with FBI and DOJ officials every step of the way", adding that the bureau "did conduct an unannounced raid and seized paper".
The Justice Department and FBI have declined to comment on the search.
Image:Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP
Supporters of the former president were furious and gathered outside his Florida estate, waving flags, playing music and beeping their car horns in protest of the search.
Police cars were parked in the street, lights flashing, as officers directed traffic and kept onlookers from the gates.
"It's another unjust thing like the made up impeachment hoaxes," said Jim Whelan, 59.
It appeared Mr Trump's supporters were expecting him to arrive, as one officer announced on a megaphone: "Trump is not returning to Mar-a-Lago tonight. His trip has been cancelled."
Mr Trump was not present at the time of the search as he was in New York, Fox News Digital reported, publishing a photo of him which a reporter said showed him leaving Trump Tower.
His son Eric told Fox News the search concerned boxes of documents the former president brought with him from the White House, and that his father has been cooperating with NARA on the matter for months.
'They even broke into my safe'
Mr Trump said in a written statement: "These are dark times for our nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.
"Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before.
"After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate."
Image:Supporters of the former president gather outside the property
The former president claimed the search was politically motivated, adding: "They even broke into my safe."
Mr Trump continued: "It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponisation of the justice system, and an attack by radical left Democrats who desperately don't want me to run for president in 2024, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming midterm elections."
The senior official denied Mr Trump's version of events, saying the use of the word "raid" was not appropriate in this context, adding they are "not breaking down doors here".
It was described as an orderly execution of a search warrant.
White House not given a heads-up
Any search of a private residence would have to be approved by a judge. The search is also likely to have been approved by FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, and his boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was appointed by President Joe Biden.
"This is as big a deal as you can have, and... every single person in the chain would have had to sign off on this," Phillip Halpern, a former federal prosecutor, said.
Hours before agents searched the premises, the FBI notified the Secret Service about the bureau's plans to execute the warrant, according to a Secret Service official.
The Secret Service facilitated access to the property, the official said, but did not take part in any aspect of the search.
The White House said it was not given a heads-up about the search.
"We did not have notice of the reported action and would refer you to the Justice Department for any additional information," an official said.
Nothing like this since the Watergate scandal
Not since the Watergate scandal that brought down President Nixon half a century ago has America seen anything like this, writes David Blevins, Sky correspondent, in Washington.
Donald Trump claims FBI agents flooded his Florida home and even broke into a safe while executing a search warrant.
He was not in Mar-a-Lago at the time and is understood to be at Trump Towers, his New York residence.
The White House says it received no notice. The search is likely to have been approved by the attorney general.
Multiple sources are linking the search warrant to classified documents but the FBI is making no comment at this stage.
To obtain a search warrant, prosecutors must establish probable cause of crime and then persuade the authorities it is justified.
A prosecutor gives a sworn affidavit to an FBI agent and it is then carefully considered by a federal judge.
Mr Trump is being investigated over claims he mishandled classified information and over the January 6 raid on the Capitol.
But no one really expected to see FBI agents raiding the home of a former president of the United States.
He was quick to politicise the search, claiming such an "assault" could only take place in a "Third World country".
The unprecedented search of a former president's home marks a significant escalation in the records investigation, which is one of several probes Mr Trump is facing from his time in office.
A separate investigation related to efforts by Mr Trump's allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 riot at the US Capitol in 2021 has also been intensifying in Washington.
Claims documents were found in toilet
Addressing NARA's retrieval of the official documents from his home earlier this year, Mr Trump said: "The papers were given easily and without conflict and on a very friendly basis."
He added that the 15 boxes, which contained memos, letters and other papers, were transported to the National Archives after "discussions" he called "collaborative".
The removal of such documents from the White House could be in violation of the law under the Presidential Records Act. It requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president's official duties.
An investigation into Mr Trump's handling of White House records was launched in February after media reports that documents were found in the building's toilet.
Maggie Haberman, a New York Times reporter, claimed White House staff would "periodically find the toilet clogged" and would then discover "wads of clumped up, wet printed paper... either notes or some other piece of paper they believed had been thrown" down it.
"These are dark times for our Nation," Mr Trump's statement began.
He said he had co-operated with all relevant government agencies and so the "unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate".
Mr Trump said it amounted to "prosecutorial misconduct" and "the weaponisation of the Justice System" to prevent him from running for the White House again.
"Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries," he said. "Sadly, America has now become one of those Countries, corrupt at a level not seen before.
"They even broke into my safe!"
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Eric Trump, the president's second-oldest son, told Fox News that the FBI's execution of the search warrant on Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate was related to an investigation into the handling of National Archives records.
In February, the National Archives, the US government agency that manages the preservation of presidential records, asked the justice department to investigate Mr Trump for his handling of official papers.
The National Archives said it had retrieved 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago, some of which contained classified records.
US presidents are required by law to transfer all of their letters, work documents and emails to the National Archives.
But officials say the former president illegally ripped up many documents.
Some of them had to be taped back together, the Archives said. Mr Trump at the time rejected reports that he had mishandled official records as "fake news".
A senior Trump adviser in Palm Beach told CBS that the search by federal agents on Mar-a-Lago was about the presidential records.
"This is about the PRA [Presidential Records Act]," said the Trump source, who only agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.
"When have you ever heard about a raid because of PRA?"
The source added: "They [the FBI] just left and they left with very little."
A federal search warrant must be signed by a judge. Law enforcement agencies must have evidence the search is likely to find evidence of illegality.
An unnamed law enforcement official told CBS that the Secret Service was notified shortly before the warrant was served around 10:00 (14:00 GMT), and that agents protecting Mr Trump helped the FBI investigators.
Several boxes were taken away, the source said, adding that no doors were kicked down and that the raid had concluded by the late afternoon.
In a forthcoming book, Confidence Man, New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman will report that staff at the White House residency sometimes found wads of paper clogging a toilet, and that they believed Mr Trump was the flusher.
Ms Haberman has obtained photos which she says show paper in a toilet bowl at the White House.
A senior White House official has told CBS the West Wing was given no notice of the FBI raid on Mr Trump's home.
"No advance knowledge," said the senior official, who was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter. "Some learned from old media, some from social media."
US President Joe Biden's White House has said it is limiting its interactions with top justice department officials to avoid any hint of political pressure or impropriety.
Mr Biden pledged during his White House campaign to stay out of justice department affairs. The president and his family are also waiting to see whether federal prosecutors will indict his son, Hunter Biden, on tax evasion or other federal charges.
In addition to the National Archives inquiry, a US House of Representatives select committee is investigating Mr Trump's actions surrounding the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021 - when a horde of his supporters rioted at Congress as lawmakers met to certify Mr Biden's election victory.
The US justice department is examining Mr Trump's challenge to the results of the 2020 presidential election. Attorney General Merrick Garland has said he intends to hold "everyone" accountable.
And a prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, is also investigating whether Mr Trump and his associates tried to interfere in that state's results from the 2020 election.
