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<span>Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump and two of his children have been ordered by a New York judge to appear for a deposition within the next three weeks, as part of the billowing investigation over alleged fraud in the valuation of assets belonging to his family business.

The legal perils surrounding the former president are getting worse after a judge ordered Trump and his children to comply with subpoenas.

The New York state attorney general's office has been trying to get information and testimony from the family. She is looking into whether the Trump Organization used fraudulent or misleading valuations to attract loans and reduce its tax burden.

The arguments put forward by Trump lawyers that the former president shouldn't be questioned in the civil case because the information could be used against him in criminal proceedings were not supported by the evidence. The judge said that if James had not subpoenaed them, it would have been a blatant dereliction of duty.

James said that no one will be allowed to stand in the way of the pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful they are.

Under the judge's ruling, Trump must testify within 21 days and give the documents and information within 14 days. The former president was dealt a blow a week ago.

On Monday, it was revealed that the accounting firm for the Trump Organization, Mazars USA, had broken off ties with the family business, saying that it could no longer stand by 10 years of annual financial statements that it had prepared for the group.

The accountants said that they had reviewed the circumstances and found that they were not able to give a new work product to the Trumps.

The accountants of the Trump Organization called years of filings unreliable.

James, New York state's top prosecutor who has pursued alleged irregularity in the family's finances, must question Trump and his two children. The former president is likely to have a legal and political dilemma.

Should he answer James's questions, he could be implicated in a criminal investigation into Trump accounts being conducted by James and the Manhattan district attorney. It could be difficult for him if he pleads the fifth amendment.

Lawyers for Trump argued that he couldn't plead the fifth without hurting his criminal defense.

If he goes in and follows my advice, you can't answer these questions without immunity, that's what the law provides. Ronald Fischetti, Trump's criminal defense lawyer, asked how he could pick a jury.

The deposition is likely to be awkward. In the past, Trump has criticized those who are silent. He ridiculed the practice of the mob taking the fifth during his presidential campaign. If you are innocent, why are you taking the fifth amendment?

Michael Cohen, an ex-vice president of the Trump Organization, said the issue raised problems for his former boss. Cohen told the Guardian that he wondered if that applied to him and his children as they remained silent.

The judge pointed out that the testimony of Cohen before the House oversight committee in which he accused Trump of cooking the books was the reason for the decision.

Cohen told the Guardian that law enforcement should not be allowed to question him and his family because of Trump's delusional world. Their concerns stem from their inability to tell the truth.

The investigation by James, who is a Democrat, has been denounced by Trump as a partisan witch-hunt. He slammed the investigation again on Tuesday, calling it a sham investigation of a great company that has done a great job for New York and beyond.

Over the years, such an aggressive posture has helped Trump look down many of the legal challenges brought against him. Thursday's ruling is likely to put new wind into the sails of the James investigation and make an easy get-out clause less likely.

The former occupant of the White House is facing a lot of legal troubles, and the James investigation is one of them. According to a Guardian tally this month, Trump was facing 19 legal challenges, six of which were related to financial malfeasance.

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