Former President Donald Trump arrived at a court in New York on Thursday to attend his ongoing civil fraud trial against him and his company, marking his return to the courtroom after several weeks away as the lengthy trial enters its final days – and as he prepares to testify for the second time next week.
Key Facts
Before entering the courtroom, Trump criticized the case against him to reporters, asserting, “We did nothing wrong” and “There is no judge in the country who won’t give us full victory.”
Reports emerged last week indicating that Trump would attend his fraud trial on Thursday, following his absence from court proceedings in the weeks since his testimony in November.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Trump, his company, and his business associates, including his sons, for allegedly misleading the value of their assets unlawfully to obtain more favorable business deals and inflate Trump’s net worth.
Trump’s appearance in court follows the reinstatement of a gag order against him by an appellate court – which the judge says Trump violated once during a prior court session when he spoke with reporters.
What to Watch For
Bartow is expected to be the final witness for the defense before Trump. After Trump testifies on Monday, the defense is expected to rest, and there will be a brief rebuttal from the state before concluding the fraud trial for this year. Closing arguments will not take place until January 11, and a ruling from the judge is expected shortly thereafter, likely before the end of January. Trump and his co-defendants face serious consequences if Judge Arthur Engoron rules against them, including a $250 million fine and barring Trump and his sons from running businesses in New York.
What We Don’t Know
Whether Trump will violate the gag order against him again and what will happen if he does. Engoron has already found that Trump violated it twice, resulting in accumulating fees of $15,000 for his attacks on Engoron’s clerk, whom the former president and his allies allege is politically biased against Trump and exerts improper influence on the judge. If Trump violates the order again, Engoron has threatened that the next sanctions could include higher fines, even potential contempt of court charges and imprisonment for Trump. Trump’s lawyers attempted to delay the former president’s planned testimony on Monday as they appeal the gag order to the state’s highest court in New York, but Engoron denied the request.
Main Background
James sued Trump and his co-defendants in September 2022 after a years-long investigation, accusing the former president and his associates of misleading valuations at places like Mar-a-Lago in financial documents over 200 times between 2011 and 2021. Engoron has already found that the defendants are liable for fraud by misleading the value of their assets, but the trial continues regarding other charges, such as record falsification and whether the fraud was committed intentionally. Trump’s appearance in the courtroom on Thursday marks the eighth time he has appeared at the trial, including when he testified, during which the former president denounced the case as a politically motivated “witch hunt” against him and criticized James and Engoron. Trump has drawn media attention during his courtroom appearances, speaking with reporters as he leaves and enters the courtroom to criticize the proceedings against him. The former president and his co-defendants have vigorously denied the allegations, asserting that the valuations are a matter of personal opinion and that the financial statements of the Trump Organization are accurate and based on Trump’s real estate expertise.
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Additional
Recording of Trump Lying About Penthouse Weakens His Court Testimony
Inside the Courtroom: Donald Trump Lashes Out on the Witness Stand
Bad Accounting or Fraud? Trump’s Profit Numbers Don’t Add Up
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