2023-11-03 03:48:02
NEW YORK (AP) —
Eric Trump, one of two sons entrusted with running Donald Trump’s real estate empire, swore Thursday that he was never involved with financial statements that New York state lawyers say fraudulently inflated the wealth of the former president and the value of your family business.
But when shown a decade-old email requesting information for one of his father’s financial statements, the son struggled to clarify his testimony.
“We are a very large organization, a huge real estate organization…yeah, I’m pretty sure I understand that we have financial statements. Without a doubt,” Eric Trump testified during the civil trial for fraud once morest the family and the company. But the executive vice president of the Trump Organization insisted: “I had no involvement and never worked on my father’s statement of financial condition.”
Although another Trump Organization executive has testified that Eric Trump participated in a video call regarding his father’s financial statements even in 2021, the son said he might not remember it.
“I take a thousand calls a day,” he said.
Eric Trump took the stand following the testimony of his brother and also the company’s executive vice president, Donald Trump Jr., during a day of great attention at the trial. The day concluded once Judge Arthur Engoron hinted that he might expand a gag order following defense attorneys once more criticized his paralegal’s role in the case.
Earlier during the trial, Engoron banned all sides from criticizing his staff following Donald Trump lashed out at the aide on social media. The former president has been subject to two fines totaling $15,000 for what the judge said were violations of his order.
Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly complained regarding the paralegal passing notes to the judge during testimony, a practice the lawyers say is inappropriate and unfair. Engoron said he has an “absolute right” to receive the assistant’s advice.
When the defense complained once more Thursday, as Eric Trump watched silently from the stand, a visibly upset Engoron said he might expand the gag order to include attorneys if anyone mentioned his staff once more.
The former president, his adult children and other defendants deny wrongdoing in the case, which was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Prosecutors accuse them of inflating the former president’s net worth in his annual “statement of financial condition” documents, which were given to banks, insurers and others to obtain loans and make deals.
“It is very sad to see my children being persecuted in a political witch hunt,” said Donald Trump, favorite in Republican preferences heading into the 2024 elections, on his social network Truth Social. James and Engoron are Democrats.
Donald Trump is scheduled to testify on Monday, followed by his daughter Ivanka on Wednesday. An appeals court on Thursday denied her motion to postpone her testimony.
Eric Trump will return to the stand on Friday.
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