Former President Donald Trump faced a stern rebuke from a judge on Tuesday after he posted a derogatory comment about one of his law clerks on social media. Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to remove the post and issued a gag order forbidding the defendants from discussing members of his staff in the $250 million civil fraud trial brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
James filed a lawsuit against Trump, his company, and two of his grown-up children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, claiming that they intentionally exaggerated the worth of their properties and assets with the intention of obtaining loans, tax advantages, and business agreements. She said on Tuesday that she had proven that Trump and the other defendants engaged in “repeated and persistent fraud” for over a decade.
James said that she resumed questioning of her first witness, a former partner at Mazars, an accounting firm that compiled Trump’s financial statements for years. She said that Mazars only compiled the financial information that Trump and the Trump Organization provided and swore was true, and that they cannot blame their accounting firm for their fraud.
Trump told reporters during a break that he would take the witness stand in the case “at the appropriate time.” He is on both the attorney general’s and his own team’s witness lists. He also claimed that the judge had misinterpreted his comments related to the statute of limitations, which James said was incorrect.
New York AG says Trump and his organization provided false valuations in fraud case
New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Tuesday just after the hearing that Donald Trump and the Trump Organization provided false valuations of their properties and assets to defraud investors, lenders, and tax authorities. James made the statement on the second day of the civil trial against the former president and his company, which she accused of engaging in “repeated and persistent fraud” for over a decade.
James said that the judge in the case confirmed that Trump had incorrectly interpreted his comments related to the statute of limitations, and that her case continues. She said that she resumed questioning of her first witness, a former partner at Mazars, an accounting firm that compiled Trump’s financial statements for years. She said that Mazars only compiled the financial information that Trump and the Trump Organization provided and swore was true, and that they cannot blame their accounting firm for their fraud.
“And as the judge ruled last week, we have proven that Mr. Trump and the other defendants fraud,” James said. “I am confident in the case we are presenting. And I know that justice will prevail. Because no matter how many properties one may own, no matter how much money one may think they have, everyone, everyone is equal under the law.”
The trial is expected to last for several weeks and could have significant implications for Trump’s political and financial future. James said that she was confident in her case and that justice would prevail. “Because no matter how many properties one may own, no matter how much money one may think they have, everyone, everyone is equal under the law,” she said.
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