Former U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the courtroom as his civil fraud trial in New York is nearing the end.
What Happened: As reported by CBS News on Thursday, Trump, his two sons, and their company are facing allegations of a decade-long fraud scheme. They are accused of misrepresenting Trump’s wealth to obtain advantageous terms for loans and insurance. All parties have denied wrongdoing.
The defense team questioned the final expert witness, Eli Bartov, an accounting professor from New York University. Bartov testified that he found “no evidence whatsoever for accounting fraud,” and that the financial statements “were not materially misstated.”
However, Bartov did confirm that Trump’s Trump Tower penthouse’s value was “inflated” in the financial statement but ascribed the disparity to a calculation error, which he said was “not unusual.”
As the trial progresses, New York Attorney General Letitia James seeks to claw back $250 million for the state and impose sanctions on the defendants to limit their business operations in New York.
The trial, which began on Oct. 2, has seen Trump testify himself and attend the proceeding eight times. Trump is scheduled to be the final witness called in his own defense on Monday, Dec. 11.
While walking out of the courtroom, Trump reviewed court artist Jane Rosenberg’s sketch and said it was “Nice.”
Talking to reporters outside the courtroom, Trump said, “This is a case that should never have been brought. This is a witch hunt. This is election interference at a level that has never been seen before,” reported CNN.
Why It Matters: Trump said that the civil trial in New York had been driving up his polls, while addressing the media.
Trump’s trial has been marked by various incidents, as highlighted by Benzinga. He has previously accused the judge’s wife of being biased and controlling the trial.
The former president also appealed against gag orders imposed on him in the case, as reported in another Benzinga article. The trial’s outcome could have significant implications for Trump’s business operations.
Photo by lev radin on Shutterstock
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