Eric Trump claimed during testimony at a fraud trial in Manhattan Thursday that he was not involved with his father’s financial statements — echoing the testimony of his brother Donald Trump Jr. — but firmer in stance than her sister.
The two Trump brothers arrived at Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday morning wearing almost identical outfits, including dark navy blue suits, light blue ties, brown shoes, slicked back coifs and neatly done facial hair.
Don Jr., 45, waved at the press cameras as two entourages were squeezed inside.
During Eric’s testimony – which was noticeably more tense than Don Jr. – state attorney Andrew Amer repeatedly pressed the 39-year-old on whether he was involved in compiling the financial statements of the former president, who is at the center of a fraud case.
The icy afternoon was capped by Judge Arthur Engoron arguing with Trump lawyer Christopher Kise after testimony when the judge suggested the lawyer might be misogynistic for repeatedly referring to his female law clerk.
The judge also threatened to expand his oral order against Donald Trump to include lawyers.
Eric Trump claimed during testimony at a Manhattan fraud trial Thursday that he was not involved with his father’s financial statements.Alec Tabak
New York Attorney General Letitia James claims in her $250 million lawsuit — against the 45th president, Eric, Don Jr. and the family’s real estate company — that from 2011 to 2021 Trump, 77, lied about that statement, increasing his assets by billions. year to get better loan and insurance terms.
“I’ve never had anything to do with a statement of financial condition,” said Eric, executive vice president at the Trump Organization. “People ask me questions all the time but I’ve never worked on a statement of financial position.”
When asked about one of these statements from 2012, Eric replied: “I was 26 years old at the time, I don’t remember what I knew at the time, but I never worked on it and knew nothing about it until this case came to fruition .”
He appeared irritated and clashed with Amer throughout the questioning, raising his voice at one point, with the lawyer snapping at him at others.
Amer spent a lot of time confronting Eric with e-mails and other evidence showing that Eric knew his father’s financial statements.
“We are a major organization, a large real estate organization, [and] of course I understand we have financial statements, for sure,” Eric loudly told Amer just before the lunch break.
“I am not involved, nor have I ever made a statement of my father’s financial situation.”
The real estate scion delivered measured feedback after the lunch break saying there was a difference between the documents used for finance versus the documents used in the annual statement of financial condition.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on former President Donald Trump’s fraud trial
Amer responded by asking if Eric had spoken to anyone during the break — apparently implying that he had been trained.
“No,” Eric replied.
Amer also tried to impeach Eric’s credibility by highlighting inconsistencies between his statements Thursday and statements he made earlier during his deposition on March 7, 2023 — a clip of which was played in court.
Donald Trump Jr., right, also testified he had nothing to do with his father’s financial statements.REUTERS
The prosecutor also snapped, “Are you done?” to Eric after he told lawyers he was mixing up the appraisal numbers for Trump’s golf club in Westchester.
Engoron intervened to smooth things over telling Eric that Amer was not trying to discredit the witness.
“He meant it so seriously, it wasn’t a dig,” the judge said.
Amer also showed Eric the emails he exchanged with the former Trump Org. Comptroller Jeffrey McConney from 2013 where McConney told Eric he was working on a statement of financial condition and asked Eric for the value of Trump’s Westchester Seven Springs property.
“Having reviewed the email, do you now admit that you have been familiar with your father’s financial statements since at least 2013?” asked Amer.
“No,” Eric replied.
Former President Trump faces allegations he inflated his assets by billions a year to get better loan and insurance terms. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Amer also pressed Eric on whether he knew that McConney was going to use the information for his father’s financial statements that Eric had to comply with.
“Yes, it seems that way, from the email,” he said.
After Eric’s testimony ended for the day, Kise raised the issue of Engoron’s law clerk saying: “I really feel like I’m fighting two enemies.”
“I think your position is always what it’s given you in the notes,” Trump lawyer Alina Habba added of the clerk’s repeated messages to the judge throughout the hearing. “You’re given a note, there’s a nod of the head and the decision is made.”
Engoron got so angry at the back end that he slammed his fist on the bench and screamed so loudly that the speaker system distorted.
“Confidential communication from my clerk? You have no right to see it or question it,” the judge said.
“I have never had anything to do with the statement of financial condition,” said Eric.REUTERS
Meanwhile, during Don. About three hours of Jr.’s testimony. spread over Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, the mood lightened as he made various jokes, prompting laughter in court and deflecting questions about his involvement in the statement of financial condition by saying his accountant handled it.
But Don Jr. also insists that he was not involved in drafting the document, saying, “Accountants do it, that’s what we pay them.”
Donald Trump’s testimony is scheduled for Monday and his eldest daughter Ivanka is scheduled for Wednesday.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
