NY Trump Civil Fraud Trial Wraps Up

Facts

• New York AG Letitia James' civil fraud case against former Pres. Donald Trump — which accuses him, the Trump Organization, and key executives of deceiving bankers and insurers — wrapped up Wednesday after ten weeks of deliberations and testimonies of 40 witnesses.¹
• Before the start of the trial, Judge Arthur Engoron had ruled that Trump had engaged in fraud and ordered a receiver to take control of some of his properties. However, that order is on hold upon appeal.¹
• James is seeking $250M in damages and a ban on Trump running businesses in the state. Judge Engoron is expected to render his verdict at the non-jury trial after hearing closing arguments on Jan. 11, 2024.²
• On Tuesday, Trump's lawyers again asked for a directed verdict and sought to have the trial cut short and have the former president, his organization, and executives cleared of wrongdoing.³
• However, Engoron dismissed the defense's request, ruling the state lawyers met the legal requirements to keep the trial going.⁴

Sources: ¹PBS NewsHour, ²Politico, ³Associated Press and ⁴Newsweek.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by New york post. This case is nothing more than another part of the political witch hunt being carried out by Democrats against the Republican ex-president. It should be dismissed, and if the state is looking for a settlement, it shouldn't hold its breath. Despite perfect testimony from experts who said Trump did nothing wrong and this case was a sham, the case has been rigged against Trump from the start. It'll be won on appeal if that's what it comes to.
• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Abc news. Those perfect witnesses Trump's lawyers called to the stand are all bought and paid for by the former president and the PAC aiding his run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Of course, they're going to say whatever his attorneys tell them to say. This case must go all the way to the judge's verdict, and then Trump should pay for his fraudulent behavior — even if none of this costs him in the polls.

Predictions