Former President Trump is back in a New York City courtroom today, continuing to fight the charges brought on by Attorney General Letitia James, who alleges that the real-estate 'mogul' exaggerated his wealth by billions.
"This is a rigged trial," Trump said to reporters outside the courtroom. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and wearing an American flag pin on his lapel as he went into the room.
As James and her team prepare to question witnesses, Trump will likely have a chance to face off with his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who is supposed to deliver key testimony in the trial. Cohen has postponed his appearance, forcing James and her team to call some witnesses earlier than they'd hoped.
James started her investigation after Cohen told Congress his former boss had a history of misrepresenting the value of assets. Cohen went to prison for tax evasion and orchestrating secret payments to cover up stories of extramarital affairs that Trump denied, causing a rift between the two.
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The trial will determine how much he and his companies will be penalized for the fraud (Getty Images)Instead, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump are among the 28 names on James’ list of witnesses to be called in the case.
“I’m not bowing out. I’m not nervous to testify. I’m not being paid off. I have a medical issue that I need to attend to. It’s as simple as that,” Cohen said last week on X, formerly known as Twitter. Judge Arthur Engoron said Monday that the earliest Cohen can now testify is Oct. 23.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against Trump alleges that he and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and inflating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.
The trial concerns six remaining claims in the lawsuit, including allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud, and falsifying business records. In a pretrial court filing, James’ office estimated that Trump exaggerated his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion.
State lawyers have called eight witnesses so far, including Trump Organization insiders Weisselberg, McConney, Assistant Vice President Patrick Birney and hotel division chief Mark Hawthorn. They’ve also called accountants Donald Bender and Camron Harris, whose firms Trump hired to prepare his financial statements.
Trump will show off with his former lawyer Michael Cohen next week (AFP via Getty Images)Trump’s lawyers have attempted to blame those firms for any problems. A retired Deutsche Bank official testified the financial statements were key to Trump securing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans.
Weisselberg acknowledged that information in Trump’s financial statements wasn’t always accurate, such as valuing his penthouse based on the wrong size. He also struggled to answer many questions, saying “I don’t remember” or “I don’t recall” more than 100 times.
Trump voluntarily attended the first three days of the trial, Oct. 2-4. He turned his appearance into a campaign stop by complaining about the case at every opportunity to TV cameras in the hallway outside the courtroom.
Trump continues to claim innocence and blames the 'left' for trying to stop him from winning an election. He posted on TruthSocial ahead of his appearance today: "I will be attending the trial in Manhattan this morning. I greatly appreciate all of the legal professors and scholars that are saying I DID NOTHING WRONG. I can’t have a JURY and am being viciously tried under a Statute that has never been used before. The Radical Left Democrat Judge, WHO IS HIGHLY POLITICAL, serves as Judge, Jury, and everything else. America cannot let this happen. Our legal system is corrupt and broken! Everything emanates from Washington, 'GET TRUMP.'"
Trump's mugshot from a criminal case in Georgia, where he was pretty proud of himself and denied all allegations (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)In the past, during a tax fraud eviction, Trump avoided coming to court to defend himself or his company, not even just to watch. He did the same when he was found liable for a sexual assault. Trump has been attending this NYC fraud court case way before his time to testify - but this court case could have a serious effect on his financial assets.
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James wants the Trump defendants banned from doing business in New York. She’s also seeking the return of $250 million in what she alleges were ill-gotten gains.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he arrives for his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on October 17, 2023 (Getty Images)Cohen is now scheduled to be in court next week, which means that Trump will also be back in New York for the next round of witness interviews. “I am thankful the medical condition, while incredibly painful, does not require an immediate procedure,” Cohen said in a text message. “I anticipate appearing as soon as the pain subsides. When I do testify, I am certain Donald will be in attendance, sitting with his lawyers at the defendant’s table.”
In a pretrial decision last month, a judge resolved the top claim in James’ lawsuit, ruling that Trump and his company committed years of fraud by exaggerating the value of Trump’s assets and net worth on his financial statements.
As punishment, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered that a court-appointed receiver take control of some Trump companies, putting the future oversight of Trump Tower and other marquee properties in doubt. An appeals court has since blocked enforcement of that aspect of the ruling, at least for now.
Trump has been using moments in between courtroom sessions to address the cameras (Getty Images)In the allegations, Trump claimed his Trump Tower penthouse was nearly three times its actual size and worth $327 million, more than any other apartment had ever sold for. He also valued his Mar-a-Lago estate as high as $739 million based on the idea that the property could be developed for residential use, which is prohibited by deed terms.
Trump has four pending criminal cases, but this is not one of them. Manhattan prosecutors had looked into bringing criminal charges over the allegations in James’ lawsuit but declined to do so. Instead, the Manhattan district attorney’s office charged Trump in March with falsifying business records related to hush money paid on his behalf. This is a civil trial that doesn’t have a jury. Instead, Judge Engoron is presiding over what’s known as a bench trial. He will issue a ruling once the trial is over.
Indictments in Georgia and Washington, D.C., allege Trump plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss. In Florida, he is charged with hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
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