Former President Donald Trump returned to court on Tuesday for an ongoing civil fraud case linked to his business ventures.
What Happened: Trump’s civil fraud trial related to his businesses resumed Tuesday, and the former president was once again present in the courtroom.
This marks the third week of the trial, with the New York attorney general alleging that Trump inflated his net worth and business valuations to deceive banks, as reported by the New York Post.
Tuesday was the first appearance by Trump for the court hearings since the first three days of the case, which were held two weeks ago, as he has been busy on the campaign trail and with other court appearances.
Due to the civil nature of the court case, Trump is not required to be present each day of the hearings, unlike a criminal case.
The timing of Trump’s appearance could be related to witnesses who are expected to testify Tuesday or in the coming days. Donna Kidder, an accountant for the Trump Organization, is slated to take the stand on Tuesday to shed light on the firm's accounting procedures.
Ahead of his courtroom appearance, the former president shared his thoughts on his Truth Social platform Tuesday morning. “I will be attending the trial in Manhattan this morning. I greatly appreciate all of the legal professors and scholars that are saying I DID NOTHING WRONG. I can’t have a JURY and am being viciously tried under a Statute that has never been used before. The Radical Left Democrat Judge, WHO IS HIGHLY POLITICAL, serves as Judge, Jury, and everything else. America cannot let this happen. Our legal system is corrupt and broken! Everything emanates from Washington, “GET TRUMP.”
Trump has often called the case politically motivated and lashed out at the judge and attorney general.
During a pause in the court proceedings on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that a bank executive had conveyed to him that a loan was granted to the Trump Organization, and the bank was satisfied with it, having been repaid in full.
Trump said Attorney General Letitia James has an agenda against him with videos showing her saying “I will get Trump” and “ranting and raving like a lunatic.”
“She’s defrauded the public with this trial,” Trump said.
Trump said Mar-a-Lago is worth $1 billion to $1.56 billion and could be worth 100x the amount given by the court ahead of the trial. “They are the frauds,” he added.
The former president continued to describe the trial against him as being a “witch hunt” and politically motivated.
“All set up by Biden and his thugs. He’s been the worst president in the history of our country.”
The comments against President Joe Biden, the judge and attorney general come as Trump has been met with limited gag orders in other cases against him.
Related Link: Donald Trump Hits Record Support In Latest GOP Election Poll, DeSantis Hits Record Low
What’s Next: Trump is also expected to attend the court when his former personal attorney Michael Cohen takes the stand. Cohen was expected to testify this week, but his testimony has been delayed until next week due to personal reasons.
Trump’s older children Eric, Donald Jr. and Ivanka are expected to testify later in the trial. Trump told reporters they should be left out of the case and they did nothing wrong. Donald Jr. and Eric are co-defendants in the case. Ivanka was a co-defendant before a court of appeals dismissed the case against her.
A witness list from the state of New York includes 28 names. Trump’s legal team has a list of 127 witnesses that could be used in the case. Trump himself is expected to take the witness stand as the second to last to testify. The last scheduled witness is an expert on damages.
James is seeking $250 million in penalties against Trump and his businesses and a ban on the former president being able to conduct business in the state of New York in the future.
The civil fraud trial is expected to last until Dec. 22, 2023, according to a previous statement by the judge.
Read Next: 2024 Presidential Election Betting Odds, Trump Now The Favorite
Image created using artificial intelligence with MidJourney.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
