Trump Testifies in Heated New York Civil Fraud Case
Facts
- Former Pres. Donald Trump appeared in a New York courtroom Monday as he took the witness stand to testify in a $250M civil fraud trial in his home state. A defiant Trump blasted the case and sparred with the presiding judge, state Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron.1
- The trial stems from a lawsuit by N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, which accuses Trump and his family of inflating the value of their assets and net worth to secure favorable financing and defraud banks. The suit involves the former president, his children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, and other associates.2
- Shortly into his testimony, Trump decried the unfair treatment of him and his family, leading Judge Engoron to threaten to cut Trump’s testimony short. The judge accused Trump of avoiding direct answers, and asked Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, to 'control your client,' adding 'This is not a political rally. This is a courtroom.'3
- Speaking of James, who sat in the courtroom during the testimony, Trump said, 'This is the opposite of fraud. The fraud is her.' He also maintained that many of his properties had been undervalued and that the wrong valuations in question included a disclaimer clause, meaning that the valuations were irrelevant to the lending banks.4
- Unlike the four criminal cases that Trump faces next year: the classified documents case, the Fulton County, Georgia case, the Washington, D.C. election interference case, and the Manhattan inquiry into hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, this civil case doesn't potentially lead to jail time, but it could force Trump to pay $250M in fines and prohibit the Trump family from doing business in New York.1
- The outcome of the trial will be determined by Judge Engoron alone, who said he was considering drawing negative conclusions from Trump’s testimony. In a pretrial ruling, Engoron found Trump liable for overstating the value of his Mar-a-Lago property, and on Oct. 25, he ordered Trump to testify to determine if Trump violated a limited gag order.5
Sources: 1NBC, 2FOX News, 3Reuters, 4Associated Press and 5CBS.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media. Anyone who isn’t completely blinded by their desire to destroy Donald Trump by any means necessary knows that the former president is being politically persecuted unlike any figure in American history, and he has every right to fight against this political warfare. No matter what the Democratic establishment does, Pres. Trump keeps rising in the polls as the American people wake up to the weaponized justice system that exists. While corrupt prosecutors look for any loophole to attack Trump, the former president is ramping up his efforts to retake the White House and make America great again.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. As Donald Trump takes the stand in one of his many ongoing trials, he continues to display erratic behavior. Trump has perpetrated notorious fraud for decades and earned his over-inflated “fortune” through nepotism and disregard for the law, and he is finally being held accountable for his unscrupulous behavior. It's looking like he won't be able to dissuade or intimidate the judge in this case, which is a bad omen for his mountain of legal battles.