The former president is on trial in New York for allegedly defrauding lenders.
Former President Trump speaks out at civil fraud trial
Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York in a $250 million civil lawsuit that could alter the personal fortune and real estate empire that helped propel Trump to the White House.
Trump, his sons Eric Trump and and Donald Trump Jr., and other top Trump Organization executives are accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of engaging in a decade-long scheme in which they used “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” to inflate Trump’s net worth in order get more favorable loan terms. The trial comes after the judge in the case ruled in a partial summary judgment that Trump had submitted “fraudulent valuations” for his assets, leaving the trial to determine additional actions and what penalty, if any, the defendants should receive.
The former president has denied all wrongdoing and his attorneys have argued that Trump’s alleged inflated valuations were a product of his business skill.
Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial will resume on Tuesday, following the announcement from the former president that he was canceling his plans to testify Monday in his own defense.
“Donald Trump already testified in our financial fraud case against him,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Sunday afternoon following Trump’s announcement. “Whether or not Trump testifies again tomorrow, we have already proven that he committed years of financial fraud and unjustly enriched himself and his family. No matter how much he tries to distract from reality, the facts don’t lie.”
The trial will continue Tuesday with the cross-examination of the defense’s accounting expert Eli Bartov. Once Bartov concludes his testimony, Trump’s defense case is expected to rest.
Lawyers for the New York attorney general plan to present a brief rebuttal case, which might conclude as early as Tuesday.
Closing arguments in the case are scheduled for Jan. 11, and a written decision in the case may come in late January.
Donald Trump has canceled his plans to testify in his own defense in his civil fraud trial, the former president said in a statement Sunday.
“I will not be testifying on Monday. MAGA!” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump cited the testimony of his expert witnesses, the use of what he called his “ironclad disclaimer clause,” and alleged bias by the judge overseeing the case as reasons he no longer planned to testify.
“I HAVE ALREADY TESTIFIED TO EVERYTHING & HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY OTHER THAN THAT THIS IS A COMPLETE & TOTAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE,” he wrote.
The former president was due to return to the courtroom Monday after testifying last month in the state’s case.
New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov will have to return to court on Tuesday to conclude his testimony, after his direct examination ran longer than expected.
After Bartov’s direct examination concluded, state attorney Louis Solomon began his cross-examination — but the parties agreed to adjourn for the day and resume the cross-examination next week.
Donald Trump is scheduled to be the only witness on Monday.
Once Bartov concludes his testimony, New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to present a brief rebuttal case.
The defense’s accounting expert, Eli Bartov, was paid approximately $877,500 for his expert analysis, the New York University professor testified.
Bartov said he was paid an hourly rate of $1,350 for 650 hours of work, receiving payments from the Trump Organization and Trump’s Save America PAC.
The state’s lone expert witness, Michiel McCarty, was paid roughly $350,000 for his testimony.
Bartov’s testimony about his compensation followed a tense exchange in which defense attorney Alina Habba accused Judge Engoron of “wasting time and money” by ignoring expert testimony.
“Why are we wasting our time if nobody is considering the words coming out of our experts’ mouths?” Habba said.
Trump fraud trial: Trump cancels plans to testify Monday – ABC News
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