Former acting Solicitor General, Neal Katyal, criticized Donald Trump Jr.’s defense tactics in Donald Trump‘s civil fraud trial on Thursday.
What Happened: Katyal, in an MSNBC interview, casted a doubt on Trump Jr.’s numerous “I don’t recall” claims and efforts to blame accountants.
Katyal proposed two potential interpretations of Trump Jr.’s responses during the trial. He suggested that the former president’s oldest son was either "choosing to mislead the judge, the public about his business knowledge, or he came awfully close to I guess flunking out of Wharton."
Katyal pointed out, “It’s really convenient how Don Jr. seems to have forgotten information that could be damaging to him. It kind of looks like he’s intentionally decided to play dumb here.”
He slammed the Trump family for their aversion to honesty, stating, “I mean, the entire basis of this case is that they lied about their assets.” This comes in the wake of New York Attorney General Letitia James‘ $250 million lawsuit against Trump and his business for allegedly manipulating asset valuations.
Why It Matters: The former acting Solicitor General anticipates a challenging week ahead for the Trump family, as Donald Trump, his son, Eric Trump, and daughter, Ivanka Trump, are expected to testify under oath.
Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that Trump, his sons, and the company inflated asset values fraudulently. The trial is primarily concerned with determining damages. Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing and has launched numerous attacks against Judge Engoron and New York Attorney General.
James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump being able to conduct business in the state of New York in the future.
Donald Trump himself is scheduled to testify in the trial on Nov. 6.
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