Mr. Trump’s lawyers have long highlighted for him the perils of speaking under oath to those seeking to hold him to account.
Mr. Trump, eschewing his instinct to talk and bully his way out of a problem, has chosen silence when the legal stakes are highest.
He eventually had a change of heart in the attorney general’s case, answering questions under oath in a deposition this spring.
Mr. Trump got off on the wrong foot with the judge, Arthur F. Engoron, who will decide the outcome of the trial.
At one point, Justice Engoron summoned Mr. Trump to the witness stand to determine whether he had broken the rule.
Persons:
Trump, James, Arthur F, Engoron, Justice Engoron, Mr
Locations:
Manhattan, Russia