Former President Donald Trump said in a statement Wednesday that he invoked the Fifth Amendment during his deposition under oath as part of the New York attorney general's civil investigation into the Trump Organization's finances. "I once asked, 'If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?' Now I know the answer to that question," Trump wrote in announcing his decision to invoke his right against self-incrimination. Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said Trump’s decision has ramifications because New York Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a civil investigation, not a criminal one. “While his silence can’t be used against him in a criminal case, it can be used against him in the AG’s civil case. If he is sued, jurors may be instructed they should presume his answers would have hurt him," Mariotti said. Since 2021, Trump has faced legal scrutiny in at least five independent federal and state inquiries that are both criminal and civil in nature. At least two investigations involve the 2020 election. A bipartisan House committee is digging into Trump's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. New York's attorney general is investigating the Trump Organization's business practices. And a federal inquiry into presidential records is ongoing, and appears to have prompted a search by the FBI at his Florida estate. The latest action prompted Trump to make accusations of a "witch hunt" in all levels of government, including the bureau itself. However, FBI director Christopher Wray was appointed by Trump, while he was president. To read more on the investigation, click the link in our bio.