Former President Trump engaged in a heated exchange with New York Judge Arthur Engoron during his testimony on Monday morning in the non-jury civil trial related to New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against him and his businesses in the state.
The trial centers around allegations of fraud and misrepresentation on Trump's financial statements.
Kevin Wallace, a lawyer from the New York Attorney General's Office, began questioning Trump about his statements of financial condition. Trump dismissed the importance of these statements, claiming that banks did not pay much attention to them. When asked how he knew this, Trump cited his 50 years of experience dealing with banks and stated that they primarily focused on the deals themselves.
As the questioning continued, Judge Engoron grew impatient and urged Wallace to move along faster. Trump's defense attorney, Chris Kise, interjected, arguing that the questions required lengthy answers and should allow the former president some latitude in his responses.
Wallace then presented Trump with his 2014 statement of financial condition, which stated that Trump was responsible for preparing the statement. Trump acknowledged his responsibility for providing the necessary information to the preparers but claimed that it was so long ago that it was beyond the statute of limitations for anyone else. He also expressed his belief that the judge would rule against him.
Engoron questioned the necessity of Trump's comment and asked Kise to control his client. Kise defended Trump, stating that some questions called for narratives and that Trump was not a lawyer. The back-and-forth between Engoron, Kise, and Trump continued, with the judge expressing frustration at Trump's repetitive answers and Kise's inability to control his client.
Despite the tensions in the courtroom, Wallace pressed on with his questioning. He asked Trump if the values on his financial statements were ever inaccurate. Trump admitted that on occasion, the values were either higher or lower than the actual worth of his properties. He cited Mar-a-Lago as an example of an underestimated property but claimed that he did not take any action to correct it. Trump also asserted that the values of his properties were far greater than what was reflected on the statements, specifically mentioning 40 Wall St and Doral as undervalued assets.
In a dig at Engoron, Trump criticized the judge's valuation of Mar-a-Lago at $18 million, stating that it was worth 50 to 100 times more than that. He expressed confusion over how the judge arrived at those numbers and emphasized that the most valuable asset was the Trump brand, which he did not include on the statements.
Engoron grew increasingly frustrated with Trump's lengthy responses and repetitive remarks. He questioned Kise's ability to control his client and expressed his desire for Trump to answer the questions directly. Kise argued that the questions were not tight and that Trump should be allowed to provide his perspective.
The contentious atmosphere continued throughout the trial, with Engoron repeatedly admonishing Trump and his defense team for their behavior. Trump's defense maintained that it was necessary and relevant for him to answer the questions in the manner he chose. Another defense attorney, Alina Habba, criticized Wallace's questioning and accused him of going into speeches rather than asking concise questions.
Engoron expressed his frustration with Trump's lengthy answers and stated that he did not want to hear everything the former president had to say. Trump, in turn, criticized the trial as unfair and accused James of pursuing it for political reasons. He referred to James as a "political hack" and claimed that she used the investigation and lawsuit against him to further her own political ambitions.
The trial, which stems from James' allegations that Trump defrauded banks and inflated the value of his assets, has been marked by tension and animosity between the parties involved. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has argued that his financial statements included disclaimers requesting that the numbers be evaluated by the banks.
After a break in his testimony, Trump returned to the stand and continued to defend himself and his businesses. He criticized the investigation, the lawsuit, and the trial itself, claiming that the disclaimers on his financial statements should have protected him from these allegations. Trump accused Engoron of ruling against him without knowing anything about him and questioned the judge's valuation of his Mar-a-Lago resort.
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