Donald Trump's eldest son, a co-defendant in the former president's civil fraud trial brought about by New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million lawsuit against the Trump Organization, testified at the Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Assistant Attorney General Colleen Faherty questioned Donald Trump Jr. about his alleged involvement in inflating property values for the Trump Organization to secure investments and then deflating them to gain tax breaks and better bank loans.
The president's son arrived at the courthouse early Wednesday afternoon, flanked by security and surrounded by reporters. On the courthouse steps, one police officer appeared to show their support for the besieged Trump family.
After testifying, Don Jr. quickly left the building with smiling officers.
At 2:28 a.m. on Wednesday, Trump used his platform on Truth Social to lash out at Judge Arthur Engoron. “Leave my children alone,” he wrote in response to Engoron ordering his adult children to testify before adding, “You are a disgrace to the legal profession!”
“This Rigged Trial, brought by the Racist New York State A.G. Letitia James before Trump and developer Hating Judge, Arthur Engoron, which should have never been brought in that the so-called STAR WITNESS, SleazeBag Lawyer (for many people) Michael Cohen, admitted last week on the stand that he LIED, and also that your favorite President, Donald J. Trump, or anyone from the Trump Organization, NEVER TOLD HIM TO INFLATE VALUES ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, the opposite of what he told the A.G. in order to get this HOAX started,” Trump wrote.
If social media activity is any indicator, the younger Trump seemed unfazed by the proceedings. At one point in court, Don Jr. tweeted an image mocking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for likely wearing lifts in his shoes.
The Guardian noted Don Jr.'s responses to Assistant AG Faherty:
Donald Trump Jr was asked a series of question about the roles he, his father and Allen Weisselberg had as trustees of the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust. So far, he has said he does not recall much, including why there was a brief period in 2021 when he had resigned and then been restored onto the trust.
When asked whether his father is still a trustee of the trust, Trump Jr said, “I don't recall”.
…
Donald Trump Jr denied playing a role in the creation of a statement of financial condition from 2017, one of the financial documents at the center of the case. Prosecutor Colleen Faherty put a copy of the 2017 statement up on the court's screen.
Trump Jr said that while he might have been asked for information about the assets that would be used to create the statements, he was not involved in filling them out.
The trial will resume at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Eric Trump is expected to testify later today. Ivanka, who has kept a low profile since her father's presidency, will testify next week. Donald Trump's only daughter is no longer party to the suit but failed to have her subpoena thrown out.
All of the Trump family members have consistently maintained their innocence and deny any wrongdoing.
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