Former President Donald Trump departs Trump Tower on his way to give deposition
(Picture: AP)Former US President Donald Trump will be questioned under oath on Wednesday in a long-running investigation into his real estate dealings.
The testimony comes just days after FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in an unconnected probe over whether he took classified documents from the White House.
Mr Trump arrived at the New York attorney general's office shortly before 9am local time ahead of questioning.
The civil investigation, led by Attorney General Letitia James, concerns allegations the Trump Organisation misstated the value of assets to mislead lenders and tax authorities.
In a statement on social media site Truth Social, Mr Trump called the probe a “continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history!”
"My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!" he said.
In May, Ms James' office said that it was nearing the end of its probe and that investigators had amassed substantial evidence that could support legal action.
The former Republican president’s deposition was one of the few remaining missing pieces of evidence, the attorney general's office said.
The testimony had initially been planned for last month but was delayed after the July 14 death of the former president's ex-wife, Ivana Trump.
Ms James, a Democrat, has said in court filings that her office has uncovered "significant" evidence that Trump's company "used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain a host of economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions."
She alleges the company exaggerated the value of its holdings to impress lenders or misstated what land was worth to slash its tax burden.
Trump has denied the allegations, claiming the Attorney General’s office is “doing everything within their corrupt discretion to interfere with my business relationships, and with the political process."
Meanwhile the Manhattan district attorney's office has been pursuing a parallel criminal investigation to the civil investigation.
That probe had appeared to be progressing toward a possible criminal indictment, but slowed after a new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, took office in January.
Mr Bragg has said his investigation is continuing, which means that Trump could invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and decline to answer questions from Ms James' investigators.
