Donald Trump Jr. is expected to arrive Wednesday in a Manhattan court to testify in a $250 million civil fraud trial against his family and their company – as the former president warned a judge online to “leave my children alone.”
Don. Jr’s appearance is likely to be followed in the coming days by testimony from his two siblings and also former president Donald Trump.
Trump joined Truth Social earlier Wednesday ahead of his son’s testimony to decry the “rigged trial” and tell Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron to “leave my kids alone.”
In his 2:30 a.m. rant, Trump insisted he was a victim since his former lawyer Michael Cohen admitted he lied during testimony last week. The former president insisted he did not tell Cohen to inflate his financial statements before calling the trial a “sham” and a “bogus case” and saying it should be dismissed.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Trump, 77, his two eldest sons, and the Trump Organization for allegedly inflating the former president’s assets over the years by billions to secure loans and insurance terms.
All four Trumps are expected to be called as witnesses in the case — with Eric Trump expected to testify on Thursday, the former president on Monday and Ivanka Trump on November 8.
Ivanka, 41 – a businesswoman and mother of three who was previously an executive vice president at the family’s real estate empire – had been a defendant in the case but was dismissed after an appeals court found her evidence fell outside the statute of limitations.
However, despite Ivanka’s lawyers’ efforts that she not have to testify, Engoron said she must appear physically in lower Manhattan court to be questioned under oath.
Don Jr. and Eric still serve as executive vice presidents at the Trump Org and will likely be questioned by the AG’s attorneys about the extent of their involvement in helping their father increase his assets for about a decade.
Don Jr.’s testimony expected to be followed by Eric Trump, their father, and then Ivanka Trump.Steven Hirsch
The 2024 presidential candidate and Eric have been in court for several days during the trial. Defendants in civil cases do not have to appear in court as they would in criminal cases.
Donald Trump and Eric have been in court several days throughout the ongoing trial.JC Rice
In a dramatic courtroom scene last week, Trump looked down and looked at Cohen, his “fixer” and personal lawyer.
Cohen, 57, testified against his boss who claimed that Trump — speaking “like a mob boss” — strongly implied that Cohen and Trump’s former CFO Allen Weisselberg were shoring up Trump’s assets to achieve Trump’s desired net worth.
“He tells you what he wants without telling you specifically,” Cohen said. “We understand what he wants.”
In a surprise move on Wednesday, Trump was briefly called into the chamber to answer Engoron’s questions about whether Trump violated a judge’s restraining order barring real estate tycoons from speaking about court personnel.
After a brief hearing, Engoron fined Trump $10,000, finding he violated the order by mentioning his clerk of court — who Trump had previously skewered on his platform Truth Social, prompting the gag order in the first place.
The hearing has prompted protesters to appear in court carrying anti-Trump signs. Matthew McDermott
Trump was fined $5,000 two weeks ago for violating the order.
Later on Wednesday after being fined, Trump stormed out of the courtroom before muttering “unbelievable.”
Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations he faces and has accused judges and the Attorney General – who has attended most of the hearings – of conducting a political witch hunt against him.
Testimony is also expected Wednesday from David Orowitz, who is senior vice president of acquisitions and development at the Trump Organization.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
