"Trump has tried to stop this civil lawsuit at every step he's lost at the New York appellate courts time and time again. So now that he's been unable to get the case dismissed, I don't see settlement happening here for both legal and political reasons," said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, in an interview with Reuters.

The Constitution's Fifth Amendment protects against self-incrimination. Trump's decision not to answer questions still could carry consequences. Should the investigation lead to a trial, jurors could take his silence into account. Politically, it also could give adversaries ammunition about whether Trump has something to hide as he mulls another run for the presidency in 2024.

James has said her investigation has uncovered significant evidence that the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate, gave banks and tax authorities misleading financial information to obtain benefits.

Trump did not leave the attorney general's office until about six hours after he arrived, suggesting he faced questions for much of the day.

Trump, a Republican, in his statement again denied wrongdoing and sought to portray the investigation by James, a Democrat, as part of a years-long vendetta against him by her and others including the news media.

Trump attempted to link the state attorney general's investigation to Monday's FBI search of his Florida home Mar-a-Lago, which represented an escalation a federal probe into whether he illegally removed records from the White House as he left office in January 2021.