Donald Trump To Finally Take the Stand in New York Fraud Trial

By Rick Martin Nov 06 2023, 00:48 AM EST

Donald Trump will finally give his much-anticipated testimony to defend his actions regarding his financial statements deemed fraudulent by a New York court as his civil fraud trial to determine the fate of his company, the Trump Organization, continues this week.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages and ban the former president and his sons from doing business in the state. Trump is accused of using fraudulent financial statements to inflate his assets and get favorable loans from banks and other lenders.

Judge Arthur Engoron already ruled that Trump and the other Trump Organization co-defendants, including his adult sons Eric and Don Jr., were liable for "persistent and repeated" fraud.

The former president is set to lose his business empire in New York, and the hearings are just to determine how much damages the defendants must pay.

As CNN pointed out, Trump is known for spreading falsehoods, with Judge Engoron already finding his testimony unreliable. He is already in trouble with the judge, and his responses while under oath could mean more trouble for him, given that he often flares up in anger when pushed.

Much like his two adult Sons, Trump is expected to deflect from certain issues, such as going on lengthy speeches instead of answering straightforward "yes" or "no" questions. His answers have also been restricted as Judge Engoron has recently expanded his gag order against him for repeatedly attacking his clerk outside the courtroom.

The prosecutors are expected to press the ex-POTUS on the true value of his properties, which he has repeatedly inflated through fraudulent means. These assets with inflated values include not just Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago but also the 40 Wall Street building in New York, the Trump National Doral Miami golf course and resort, the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, and the Old Post Office project in Washington, DC.

New York Fraud Trial Prosecutors Confident Donald Trump 'Does Not Have the Goods'

Eric and Don Jr. have already testified and sought to distance themselves from the fraudulent financial statements. When Eric Trump was presented with evidence that he signed some of these fraudulent financial statements, he feigned ignorance, claiming he did not know what he was signing.

After the testimonies of the two Trump sons, The Guardian noted that prosecutors "are confident they are on the cusp of bringing Trump to justice," referencing a quote from Donald Trump's 1987 bestseller, "The Art of the Deal. "

"You can't con people - at least not for long," Trump wrote. "You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on."

Donald Trump Screamed at Lawyers Over Their Failures, Says Report

ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl is releasing a new book titled "Betrayal." An excerpt from this book has now been released, and it revealed that Donald Trump flared up at one of his attorneys because he did not get what he wanted in court.

According to The Daily Mail, Trump browbeating one of his lawyers happened after the schedule was set for his criminal hush money trial in New York.

The lawyer he screamed at was Todd Blanche, and the former president reportedly had a 30-minute tantrum after Judge Juan Merchan ruled that the trial date would happen on March 25, 2024.

"That's in the middle of the primaries! If I lose the presidency, you are going to be the reason!" Trump screamed at the lawyer representing him.

The report came from a source with direct knowledge of the Trump flare-up, which the president denied.

"No one in the courtroom could hear him, but he appeared to be yelling at the lawyer sitting next to him in Mar-a-Lago, Todd Blanche. According to a source there with Trump, the former president erupted at Blanche because the March 2024 trial would be during a crucial point in the presidential campaign," noted an excerpt in the book.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Former President Trump to testify in New York on Monday - CBS Evening News