Donald Trump Jr. began testifying Monday morning. When he was summoned to the stand by James’s side earlier this month, Trump Jr. distanced himself from the financial statements, saying that they were the work of the company’s accountants. His brother Eric Trump similarly disclaimed any involvement in the statements. Both men are defendants in the case.
“If they assured me in their expert opinion that these things were fine I would have been fine with that and signed off accordingly,” Donald Trump Jr. said during his earlier testimony.
James’s side rested last week after calling both men, their sister and their father to the stand. Her civil case seeks to demonstrate that the former president and other defendants purposefully goosed the values put on Trump’s annual financial statements.
The defense, in turn, has denied any wrongdoing, saying that no fraud took place and that no one was victimized. Asset valuations are subjective, they say, and no banks were duped.
In a pretrial ruling in the case, New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron — who is overseeing the trial without a jury and will decide its outcome — concluded that the company’s financial statements were fraudulent. He ordered that all of Trump’s “business certificates” be canceled, though the precise wording left attorneys to argue about what it specifically means for the company.
Trump, for his part, has long attacked the trial. Despite being under no obligation to attend on days when he was not testifying, Trump repeatedly showed up in person and has assailed the case, Engoron and James.
Trump is running for president again, and on top of this civil lawsuits, he faces four pending criminal prosecutions. He has denied wrongdoing on all fronts and said he is being politically targeted.
Last week, he testified in the N.Y. case and clashed with Engoron, who admonished him and urged one of Trump’s attorneys to control his behavior. During his testimony, Trump said that the financial statements included disclaimers, which he said “totally protected” him and “warned banks to “do your due diligence.”
He also said his wealth was higher than what was reported in the financial statements because his accountants did not factor in his “brand value.”
Berman reported from Washington.
