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During his testimony in the well-known civil fraud case, Donald Trump engaged in confrontational behavior, resorting to his usual tactics of name-calling and inflammatory language, as expected for the former president.
This Monday, Mr. Trump testified in the New York court case where he is being charged with inflating the value of numerous properties in his portfolio.
He was not required to attend the trial until he was summoned to testify. He has stated that his presence at the trial could potentially impact his 2024 presidential campaign, despite having attended court multiple times before.
Although he was fined $15,000 for violating a gag order issued by Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the case, Mr. Trump did not restrain himself when he testified on Monday.
These are a few notable highlights from his statement.
The legal proceedings involving Donald Trump.
(AP)
The judge cautioned Trump against giving any speeches.
At the start of Monday’s proceedings, there was a rise in tension when Judge Engoron urged Mr. Trump and his legal team to speed things up.
“He requested that Mr. Trump answer the questions without giving speeches. He pointed out that some of the answers were not relevant to the questions.”
I am confident that the judge will make a decision against me, as he consistently rules against me.
Judge Engoron later brought up his previous objection and questioned the relevance of a portion of defense attorney Christopher Kise’s story.
After receiving a brief and abrupt response from Mr. Kise, Judge Engoron retorted, “You can criticize me and do as you please, but please just answer the question.”
The courtroom illustration shows Donald Trump testifying.
(AP)
The lawyer for Trump was instructed to “manage your client’s behavior.”
The temperature remained high during the morning, and Judge Engoron later inquired of Mr. Kise: “Can you manage your client? This is not a political arena.”
“I have requested multiple times for a response to the question. I believe we should avoid adding personal opinions. If we continue in this manner, we will never reach a resolution.”
“Mr. Kise responded, ‘You are the one in charge of the courtroom, not me.'”
In another instance, Judge Engoron urged Mr Kise to manage the individual in question. If you are unable to do so, I will take action.
Mr Kise responded by suggesting the court simply listen to the candidate for president of the United States and consider their words.
The court must listen to his testimony regarding these statements and their credibility.
The judge retaliated, stating that the audience was not present to listen to the individual’s statements, but rather for him to respond to inquiries.
Trump remains silent in front of the camera.
During a break in the court proceedings, Mr. Trump chose not to speak to reporters as he left the courtroom, a departure from his typically provocative language.
At lunch break, the ex-president was accompanied outside and was questioned, “Mr. Trump, how is your day going?”
The ex-president remained silent but signaled by zipping his lips. He did not show a smile.
After departing from the New York court during his civil fraud trial, Trump closed his mouth in front of the camera.
He chose not to speak to journalists when he came back to the courtroom. However, he did give a thumbs up.
On Monday, Alina Habba, part of the former president’s legal team, took questions from the press. She also attacked Judge Engoron as “unhinged”.
“I was instructed to take a seat today. I was shouted at and a judge who was behaving erratically slammed a table,” she informed journalists, speaking outside of the courtroom. “I do not accept that type of behavior in my personal life, and I will not tolerate it here.”
Donald Trump is bragging about his Aberdeen golf course.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to Mr. Trump’s Scottish property, which is situated near Aberdeen. Mr. Trump stated in court that Trump International Scotland is host to the “most magnificent golf course ever constructed.”
Although Judge Engoron tried to silence another speech he deemed irrelevant, the former president persisted, stating, “We have received reviews stating that this is one of the most remarkable pieces of land we have ever seen.”
According to him, he stated, “I am currently not interested in constructing, as I am occupied with various other tasks. I simply want to contemplate on it. It is known as an investment.”
The judge instructed Trump’s lawyers to take charge of their client at one point during the trial.
(Getty Images)
The discussion took an unexpected direction when the New York Attorney General’s office mentioned a statement from 2014 made to UK regulators. The statement indicated that the Trump Organization had no plans to develop the Aberdeen properties due to the presence of wind farms.
Trump stated to the court, “I am not someone who supports or advocates for windmills.”
“I anticipate that they will eventually be taken down, as is the case with all wind farms. They are not located on our property, but rather miles away … Nevertheless, we have the authority to construct a large-scale project.”
During comments not related to the New York trial, Mr. Trump has previously stated that windmills are responsible for the deaths of whales.
Trump is persistently targeting the New York Attorney General and a Judge.
Throughout the day, Mr. Trump made incoherent remarks that included jabs at both Judge Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
He expressed strong disapproval in a heated outburst, stating that the situation reflects poorly on those seeking to relocate their businesses to New York. He proceeded to personally criticize Ms. James.
The attorney general is present all day as people are losing their lives. This is unacceptable and tantamount to meddling in the election. I do not wish to spend my entire day in this courthouse. It is disheartening. I demand a trial by jury. This situation is disgraceful. Experts in law are calling it the most unjust investigation they have ever witnessed.
Attorney General Letitia James of New York arrives at the Supreme Court in New York.
(AP)
The individual being questioned, Kevin Wallace, was told by the attorney general counsel, “You should feel ashamed of your actions.”
Earlier, he blushed as he accused Judge Engoron of labeling him a “fraud.”
Without looking at the judge, he stated: “You ruled against me and declared me a fraud. He accused me of fraud without knowing anything about me.”
“He is the individual who did not accurately assess the worth of the property. How can you label a man as a deceitful person when his property is worth 50 to 100 times more? Your actions are reprehensible.”
After a pause, Mr. Wallace inquired, “Have you finished?” The former president answered, “Yes.”
Trump acknowledges errors made in valuing assets.
In his statement, Mr. Trump admitted that there were occasional errors, including the appraisal of the Trump Tower unit.
The apartment’s worth decreased from $327 million in 2016 to approximately $116.8 million in 2017. This was revealed by Forbes Magazine in 2017 after discovering that Trump had falsely claimed the apartment was over 30,000 square feet, when in reality it was just under 11,000 square feet.
Mr. Wallace inquired with the ex-president about his involvement in the alteration, and Mr. Trump responded with a vague “probably,” providing a few potential justifications.
The attorney for Trump criticizes the ‘unstable’ judge in New York.
He admitted that there may have been an error, but he added disclaimer clauses to his statements to account for this possibility. He also emphasized that banks are responsible for conducting their own due diligence.
The legal representatives for Trump plan to request a mistrial.
Ms. Habba told the judge that the defense team intends to request a mistrial in the case. The Trump legal team also stated that they aim to finish presenting their case by December 15th.
“Surprisingly ahead of schedule!” stated Justice Engoron. He had previously granted the trial to extend until the weekend before the holiday season.
The defense team of Mr. Trump chose not to question the ex-president after he gave his testimony.
Source: the-independent.com
