The temperature was testy in a New York City courtroom today as Donald Trump took to the witness stand in a $250 million civil fraud trial in which he is accused of fraudulently inflating his net worth to gain favorable terms from banks and insurers. Trump’s roundabout answers and crunchy remarks today prompted Judge Engoron to admonish him and threaten to curtail his testimony repeatedly. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1721595950588666312 Judge Engoron has already ruled that Donald Trump is liable for fraud. This trial is to determine how much he and his family will pay in damages. The general defense from Donald Trump and his sons has been to assert that they didn’t have anything to do with the valuation statements of their properties. But today, Trump himself seemed to undercut that position by saying he helped assemble documents stating their value. From the New York Times:
“I would look at them, I would see them, and I would maybe on occasion have some suggestions,” Mr. Trump said shortly after he took the stand in a Manhattan courtroom. He also acknowledged lowering the value of one property — Seven Springs, a sprawling estate north of Manhattan — because he “thought it was too high.”
The financial statements by the Trump Organization — which a judge has already decided were filled with fraud — are a central element of the suit by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James. She has alleged Mr. Trump and other defendants manipulated the statements to defraud banks and insurers.
That remark about Seven Springs’s value being “too high” makes it difficult for the Donald to contend he “didn’t have anything to do” with the preparation or maintenance of the valuation documents. You can read the full reports and updates at the New York Times for free with this gift link. https://twitter.com/ReallyAmerican1/status/1721558581210657143 In the first session of today’s testimony, Judge Engoron reportedly tried to get more succinct answers from Trump, as he apparently gave long, drawn-out responses to questions. But after a break, the judge gave less resistance to Trump’s long-winded answers. Legal experts have suggested the judge was giving the Donald more rope to hang himself, as it were. https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1721584691092860976 At one point, it appeared that Trump had put himself on the verge of being thrown out of his own NYC fraud trial by Judge Engoron for refusing to answer questions directly. “I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can’t, I will,” the judge reportedly told Trump’s attorneys. ” This is not a political rally. I will excuse him and draw every negative inference that I can.” More from NBC News:
Trump later appeared to completely lose his cool about the judge, going off on a tirade from the stand. “He called me a fraud and he didn’t know anything about me!” Trump yelled, referring to the judge’s ruling allowing the trial to proceed.
Engoron ruled in September that Trump committed fraud for years, overstating his net worth by billions.
There’s no jury, so Engoron will be the one who ultimately decides the outcome of the trial, including whether Trump, his sons and his company should pay any penalties.
“This is a very unfair trial, very unfair. I hope the public is watching,” Trump complained after the judge told him to answer questions.
While Trump ranted his way through the day, New York Attorney General Letitia James was apparently cool as a cucumber telling reporters, “Number don’t lie.” https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1721539383705149579 https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1721543095622262814 https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1721587101156950235
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