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The legal team of Donald Trump has announced the initial witness to be called for the defense in the New York trial for civil fraud.
Donald Trump Jr, the son of the previous president, is scheduled to testify on Monday morning as the defence begins their efforts to protect the Trump family’s business empire from being dismantled in New York City.
Don Jr. testified as a witness for the New York Attorney General’s office, led by Letitia James, on November 2nd and 3rd. During his testimony, he had difficulty recalling details about his position at the Trump Organization.
In his testimony in court, he claimed to have no knowledge of the falsified financial records that were central to the $250 million case. He instead placed the blame on the accountants, stating that they had a deep understanding of the documents.
During his testimony, he stated that he had trusted them.
Despite Don Jr and Eric being appointed to manage the Trump Organization in January 2017 after their father became President, he still denied any involvement. Don Jr was specifically chosen to serve as a trustee for his father’s trust.
At the moment, the Trump legal team did not conduct a cross-examination of him.
Before the Attorney General’s office concluded its case on Wednesday, testimony was also given by Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, and the former president himself, Donald Trump.
During his testimony, Mr. Trump continuously criticized AG James and the judge directly.
The judge issued multiple warnings to focus on answering the questions instead of launching into lengthy speeches attacking the case. He cautioned the former president’s legal team to “manage your client’s behavior.”
At one point, he stated that he did not wish to listen to the entirety of the witness’s testimony. He believed that the witness was straying too far from the case and the questions being asked. He also warned Mr. Trump to refrain from using the courtroom as a platform for political agendas.
Despite his insistence that he was being unfairly targeted for political motives, Mr. Trump stated in court that he values Mar-a-Lago at somewhere between $1 billion and $5 billion, a significantly higher amount than the $350 million estimate provided by Forbes.
He minimized the significance of the false financial records that exaggerated his company’s wealth – records that were at the core of the case – by calling them “worthless.” He also downplayed his role in creating these records.
On November 2nd, Donald Trump Jr. appeared at the New York Supreme Court for testimony.
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On Wednesday, Ivanka Trump was the fourth and final family member to testify. She was also the last witness for the prosecution before the defence starts presenting their case on Monday.
Earlier this year, Ivanka was able to have her name removed as a defendant in the $250 million civil fraud case. However, the Attorney General’s office still required her to give testimony under oath because of her involvement in relevant matters during her time at the Trump Organization.
Judge Arthur Engoron announced on Thursday that he will permit all of the defense witnesses to testify.
Although the AG’s office requested to block four expert witnesses from the defense, the judge decided to take the path of least resistance in order to avoid the possibility of a retrial.
He expressed his desire to avoid a retrial and being overturned in this case as one of his objectives here.
Although the judge ruled in favor of the defence in this minor instance, they also mentioned that they will reject their request for a directed verdict in the case. This decision would exonerate Mr. Trump and his codefendants from any wrongdoing.
The ex-president’s lawyers contended that the state was unable to support its claims, criticizing the trial as “a misuse of public funds.”
Although the judge has not yet made a decision, it seems improbable that he will support the former president, as he has already determined that deceptive business practices occurred at the Trump Organization.
In September of 2022, New York Attorney General James initiated a legal case against Mr. Trump, his two adult sons Don Jr and Eric, the Trump Organization, and multiple executives. The lawsuit alleges that they engaged in extensive business fraud by artificially inflating the company’s worth for an extended period of time.
The judge’s ruling, announced only days before the trial, found Mr. Trump guilty of fraud.
Judge Engoron declared that for over ten years, Mr. Trump, his sons who are of legal age, his businesses, and certain members of their management team significantly and substantially exaggerated the worth of the Trump Organization’s possessions.
The judge discovered that the company obtained more advantageous business deals and loans by misleading banks, insurers, and others through overinflating the worth of their assets.
The judge will now determine the penalties that Mr. Trump should receive.
The attorney general, AG James, is requesting a fine of $250 million from Mr. Trump and a prohibition on conducting business in New York. This would greatly impact his business empire and result in the closure of his signature buildings, such as Trump Tower.
Source: the-independent.com
