Former President Donald Trump is set to testify on Monday in a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against him and his family’s company.
The case accuses him and his two sons of knowingly committing fraud by exaggerating the value of some of their assets in order to secure loans and make deals.
Former President Donald Trump, right, sits in the courtroom at New York Supreme Court, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in New York. Trump is making a rare, voluntary trip to court in New York for the start of a civil trial in a lawsuit that already has resulted in a judge ruling that he committed fraud in his business dealings. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)
They’ve all denied any wrongdoing and are expected to appeal.
Read More: The trials of Donald Trump: What we know
The judge has already ruled that the Trump Organization filed fraudulent statements of financial condition.
But questions remain in the case, including whether the fraud was done on purpose and what the possible penalties will be.
Trump’s anticipated testimony comes after his two oldest sons, who are also executives at the Trump Organization, testified last week that they were not involved in their father’s annual “statements of financial condition” that allegedly show property prices were inflated.
Depending on the ruling, Trump could lose some of his New York real estate, including the Trump Tower.
“We have thousands of employees—literally thousands of employees—that rely on our company every single day to put food in their mouths in the state of New York. We run some of the most significant buildings, some of the best golf courses, so many other great properties, and the witch hunt that this woman is under to get my father for political purposes is disgusting,” said Eric Trump.
Chandelle Summer, a former Fulton County public defender in Georgia, told Scripps News that the case appears to be a political prosecution because Trump is running for re-election.
“This trial, that is basically a victimless crime, is not harming anyone by his actions. In fact, he’s making millions of dollars for the banks and the insurance companies. But the New York attorney general has sought a controversial statute to say that he lied on his financial statements,” said Summer.
Republican presidential hopeful Asa Hutchinson was booed at a summit in Florida after saying Trump will probably be found guilty of a felony offense next year.
“That may or may not happen before you vote in March, and it might not make any difference to you, but it will make a difference for our chances to attract independent voters in November. It will make a difference for those down-ticket races for Congress and Senate, and it will weaken the GOP for decades to come,” said Hutchinson.
Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, is also scheduled to testify this week after an appeals court denied her request to postpone her testimony. She’s scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
