Ivanka Testifies in Trump Org. Civil Trial

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Facts

  • Former Pres. Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, on Wednesday testified in the New York civil fraud trial against the Trump Organization. Ivanka’s testimony followed her father and brothers, Eric and Donald Jr., previously taking the stand.1
  • New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused Trump and his family business of misrepresenting the values of assets to receive favorable loans and insurance.2
  • Ivanka Trump, whose career includes a stint as executive vice president of the Trump Organization and as a senior advisor during her father’s time in the White House, testified that she wasn’t “privy” to the personal financial documents James claims are fraudulent.3
  • Ivanka Trump, who was among those sued by James before an appeals court ruled the statute of limitations had been exceeded, was presented with correspondence in which she brushed off questions about whether her father could meet a minimum net worth requirement ahead of a deal with Deutsche Bank.4
  • She also said she didn’t recall details of a deal that won her father the lease to the Old Post Office — a deal that led to the construction of the Trump International Hotel and eventually reaped the elder Trump $139M. James claims Trump won the deal by exaggerating his net worth.5
  • The state, which is seeking up to $250M in damages, rested its case after Ivanka Trump’s testimony, with the defense set to argue its case Monday.6

Sources: 1USA Today, 2Reuters, 3Associated Press, 4Wall Street Journal, 5Business Insider and 6Politico.

Narratives

  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Daily caller. This political witch hunt seemingly knows no bounds, as Letitia James clearly called Ivanka Trump to testify in order to drum up drama and gain more media attention for this trial. Ivanka hasn’t worked for her father’s business for years, and the questions all dealt with deals from more than a decade ago — no wonder she couldn’t recall them. Needlessly putting Ivanka on the stand should hurt James’ case.
  • Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Daily kos. Ivanka was a great witness for the state, as she all but confirmed that several of Trump’s lucrative business deals were highly dependent on the financial positions the judge has already ruled were fraudulent. Ivanka may have kept her cool — in contrast to her father and brothers — on the stand, but she calmly may have cost her family’s business a great deal.