Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump Testify in Father's Civil Fraud Trial
Both of Donald Trump's adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, testified at their father's New York civil fraud trial on Thursday. Testifying first was Don. Jr., who said that even though he signed off on documents, 'Every decision I made was based on information I got from Mazars,' referring to the Tru...
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Facts
- Both of Donald Trump's adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, testified at their father's New York civil fraud trial on Thursday. Testifying first was Don. Jr., who said that even though he signed off on documents, 'Every decision I made was based on information I got from Mazars,' referring to the Trump Organization's accounting firm.1
- When Eric took the stand, state prosecutor Colleen Faherty, who works under Attorney General Letitia James, showed a letter the Trump Organization sent to Mazars, in which the Trump Organization affirmed its responsibility of 'fair presentation' under generally accepted accounting principles. In response, Eric said, 'I don’t believe I ever saw or worked on the statement of financial condition.'2
- This follows Don. Jr.'s previous testimony on Wednesday, during which he was questioned about an annual financial statement that included language saying the trustees 'are responsible' for the document. He responded by saying, 'As a trustee, I have an obligation to listen those who are expert[s]...'3
- The case focuses on damages since Judge Arthur Engoron already ruled Trump and his sons inflated their assets to secure better loan terms. Prosecutors are seeking at least $250M in fines, a permanent ban against Trump and his two adult sons from running businesses in New York, and a five-year commercial real estate ban against their company as well as Trump himself.4
- The former president is set to testify on Monday, with his daughter, Ivanka, also expected to take the stand next week. Though Judge Engoron has ruled that fraud was committed, the ensuing case will determine whether it was committed on purpose and how much the defendants — which include Don. Jr., Eric, and their father — should be penalized.5
Sources: 1Business Insider, 2ABC News, 3FOX 5 New York, 4Reuters and 5NPR Online News.
Narratives
- Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Vanity Fair. Donald Trump Jr.'s approach to this court case shows true malfeasance. The eldest Trump son, who has been the co-vice president of the Trump Organization since 2017, simply couldn't recall our outsourced blame on the issues surrounding this trial. It's quite curious that, after the Trump Org.'s former CFO admitted to grand larceny and tax fraud, the company's vice president conveniently does not know how his business is run.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by The Western Journal. In true autocratic fashion, Letitia James has now broadened her scope of persecution to take down not only her political opponent but also his children. From the beginning, Trump has been targeted by New York's Democratic Attorney General to end his political career — the only difference now is that she's openly showing her desire to destroy everyone close to him as well.
