Trump will return to a New York courtroom on Monday to testify in a civil fraud trial that might damage the real estate business that made him famous before he entered politics.
Questions regarding the accounting procedures that a judge has already deemed to be false are expected to be directed at the former US president, as they were last week at his two adult sons who testified in the case.
New York state lawyers believe that those practices enabled him to get favorable financing terms by pushing up the value of his golf courses, apartment complexes and other assets at a time when many lenders refused to do business with him. They claim he made $100 million from this and made his $2 billion fortune sound much larger than it actually was. Trump has said he is innocent.
The Republican favorite for the 2024 nomination is facing four criminal trials, but this civil trial does not threaten to send him to prison as he launches a comeback attempt for the White House.
In fact, Trump has been capitalizing on the situation, claiming he is being persecuted because of his political beliefs and leveraging the incident to raise money for his campaign.
Trump has spent decades cultivating his image as a slick billionaire who jets between posh resorts and exclusive golf courses bearing his name, but this could damage that reputation.
To ban Trump, Eric, and Donald Jr. from doing business in New York, Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in fines and other limitations.
Despite an appeal, Judge Arthur Engoron has already invalidated the business certificates of the firms that control the vast majority of his business.
Preliminary trial evidence implicates Trump Organization staffers, including Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr., in a conspiracy to artificially inflate the market value of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion and other high-profile assets.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s ex-fixer and lawyer, testified that the president had him alter financial documents to inflate his wealth.
The wrath in Trump’s eyes has never been hidden.
Despite the fact that his attendance in court has not been mandated up until today, he has made repeated unannounced appearances to scowl at the proceedings from the defendant’s table and to tell TV cameras outside the courtroom that Engoron, James, and everyone else involved in the case are driven by politics. He has also maintained a constant stream of online criticism.
Two separate violations of a restricted gag order cost him $15,000 each, since they both resulted in him being prohibited from criticizing court personnel. While Trump’s legal team has expressed displeasure and suggested they may appeal, Engoron on Friday extended the injunction to include them as well.
Trump may miss a significant portion of 2019 campaigning due to court appearances.
His campaign utilized the trial to raise money, claiming in a post on October 2 that he was fighting to protect his family and reputation from “corrupt tyrants” in the New York Democratic Party.
Republican primary voters do not appear to be concerned by his legal troubles, as he maintains a sizable lead in the race for the party’s nomination for president.
The state is expected to call its final witnesses this week, which means the trial could end sooner than expected. The number of defense witnesses remains unknown.
Ivanka Trump, who is not a named defendant in this lawsuit, is scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
