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Donald Trump’s sons Don Jr. and Eric will testify at NY fraud trial

When Donald Trump became president in 2017, he handed day-to-day management of his real estate empire to his eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric. Now, as the Trumps fight to keep the family business intact, the brothers are set to testify in the New York civil fraud case that threatens their Trump Organization’s future.

Quick Read

  • Trump Organization Trial:
    • Donald Trump handed over the day-to-day management of his real estate empire to his eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, in 2017.
    • Both sons are set to testify in a New York civil fraud case against the Trump Organization.
    • Donald Trump Jr. is expected to testify on Wednesday, Eric Trump on Thursday, and Donald Trump on Monday.
  • Case Details:
    • The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleges the Trumps exaggerated Donald Trump’s wealth in financial statements to banks, insurers, and others to secure loans and deals.
    • Before the trial, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump’s financial statements were fraudulent. However, an appeals court has halted enforcement.
  • Public Remarks:
    • Both brothers have denied any wrongdoing.
    • Eric Trump criticized the trial on social media, pointing to perceived bias from James.
    • Donald Trump Jr. criticized the case as a “kangaroo court” and questioned its legitimacy.
  • Testimonies and Evidences:
    • Previous testimonies and documents have mentioned both brothers regarding their roles in the Trump Organization.
    • David McArdle, an appraiser, mentioned Eric Trump’s involvement in valuing properties.
    • Past depositions showed Donald Trump Jr.’s limited knowledge about accounting standards and Eric Trump’s role in the company.
  • Donald Trump’s Presence and Remarks:
    • Donald Trump has attended several days of the trial, criticizing it as a “sham” and a “scam” outside the court.
    • He was fined $15,000 for violating a gag order with comments about a court staff member.

The Associated Press has the story:

Donald Trump’s sons Don Jr. and Eric will testify at NY fraud trial

Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP)

When Donald Trump became president in 2017, he handed day-to-day management of his real estate empire to his eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.

Now, as the Trumps fight to keep the family business intact, the brothers are set to testify in the New York civil fraud case that threatens their Trump Organization’s future.

Donald Trump Jr. is expected to testify Wednesday and Eric Trump on Thursday, kicking off a blockbuster stretch as the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit enters its second month.

Letitia James, the New York attorney general, appears in court for former President Donald Trump’s fraud trial Monday, Oct 2, 2023, in New York. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP)

James, a Democrat, alleges that Donald Trump, his company and top executives, including Eric and Donald Trump Jr., conspired to exaggerate his wealth by billions of dollars on financial statements that were given to banks, insurers and others to secure loans and make deals.

Donald Trump — the former president, family patriarch and 2024 Republican front-runner — is slated to testify Monday, followed by his eldest daughter, ex-Trump Organization executive and White House adviser Ivanka Trump, on Nov. 8. State lawyers are expected to rest their case after that, giving Trump’s lawyers a chance to call their own witnesses.

ivanka trump
FILE – Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to President Donald Trump, waves to supporters during a campaign event Nov. 2, 2020, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, in Des Moines, Iowa. Ivanka Trump, who was among those closest to him during the insurrection at the Capitol, is set to testify Tuesday before the Jan. 6 committee, according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to discuss it. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are both executive vice presidents at the Trump Organization and defendants in James’ lawsuit. Eric has oversight over the company’s operations while Donald Trump Jr. has been involved in running the company’s property development. He and longtime company finance chief Allen Weisselberg were also trustees of the revocable trust Trump set up to hold the company’s assets when he became president.

Judge Arthur F. Engoron presides over former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in New York. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Before the trial, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump’s financial statements were fraudulent. He ordered that a court-appointed receiver seize control of some of his companies — potentially stripping him and his family of such marquee properties as Trump Tower — though an appeals court has halted enforcement for now.

Like their father, both brothers have denied wrongdoing.

FILE – Donald Trump addresses the Republican Leadership Conference, May 30, 2014, in New Orleans. When Trump tried to buy the Buffalo Bills in 2014, investment bankers doubted the NFL would allow it but encouraged him to stay in the running, according to internal emails aired at the former president’s civil fraud trial Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File)

Eric Trump has spent several days at the trial, often on the days his dad has been there. He’s commented sporadically, mostly on social media. On Oct. 5, he posted a video montage to Truth Social of James criticizing his father. With it, he wrote: “this is the corruption my father and our family is fighting! The system is weaponized, broken and disgusting!”

Donald Trump Jr. hasn’t been to court, but since testimony began Oct. 2, he’s repeatedly denounced the case and Engoron as a “kangaroo court.” State law doesn’t allow for juries in this type of lawsuit, so Engoron will decide the case.

FILE – Donald Trump, right, sits with his children, from left, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Trump International Hotel on July 23, 2014, in Washington. New York’s attorney general sued former President Donald Trump and his company on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, alleging business fraud involving some of their most prized assets, including properties in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

“It doesn’t matter what the rules are, it doesn’t matter what the Constitution says, it doesn’t matter what general practices and business would be,” Donald Trump Jr. said Monday on Newsmax. “It doesn’t matter. They have a narrative, they have an end goal, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get there.”

Ivanka
FILE – Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Kenosha Regional Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. New York Attorney General Letitia James recently subpoenaed former President Donald Trump and his two eldest children, demanding their testimony in connection with an ongoing civil investigation into the family’s business practices, according to a court filing made public Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Building to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump’s testimony, state lawyers have asked other witnesses about their role leading the Trump Organization and their involvement, over the years, in valuing their father’s properties and preparing his financial statements. Their names have also appeared on various emails and documents entered into evidence.

David McArdle, an appraiser at commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, testified that Eric Trump had substantial input on valuing planned-but-never-built townhomes at a Trump-owned golf course in the New York City suburbs. McArdle said Eric Trump arrived at a “more lofty value” than him for the project but that going with the scion’s higher number wouldn’t have been credible.

Eric Trump listens as his father, former President Donald Trump speaks during a break in his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have already been heard from at the trial, albeit in snippets of prior testimony. During opening statements on Oct. 2, state lawyers showed about a minute each from sworn depositions the brothers gave in the case.

In his July 2022 clip, Donald Trump Jr. testified about his scant knowledge of the accounting standards known as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles — which state lawyers say were used at times and disregarded at others in preparing Donald Trump’s financial statements.

FILE – President-elect Donald Trump, left, his chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, center, and his son Donald Trump Jr., right, attend a news conference at Trump Tower in New York, on Jan. 11, 2017. New York’s attorney general sued former President Donald Trump and his company on Wednesday, alleging business fraud involving some of their most prized assets, including properties in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump Jr., who’s never been an accountant, said he couldn’t recall having to use the GAAP standards in his work. He got a laugh out of a state lawyer when he said he’d learned about them “probably in Accounting 101 at Wharton” but didn’t remember much other than that they were “generally accepted.”

In his March 2023 deposition, Eric Trump testified, “I don’t think I’ve had any involvement in the Statement of Financial Condition, to the best of my knowledge.” He appeared to minimize his role as a top company executive, testifying that he tried to remain “siloed into the things I care and are passionate about” while sharing management responsibilities with his brother.

Former President Donald Trump, center, arrives for his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in New York. Trump’s son, Eric Trump, stands at left. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“I’m a construction, concrete and on-the-ground operations guy,” Eric Trump said, according to a deposition transcript posted on the case docket.

Questioned at another point about decision-making earlier in his career, Eric Trump said: “I pour concrete. I operate properties. I don’t focus on appraisals between a law firm and Cushman. This is just not what I do in my day-to-day responsibilities.”

Donald Trump attended the trial’s first three days in early October and showed up again for four days in the past two weeks, but his campaign schedule suggests it’s unlikely he’ll return to see his sons testify.

In his past appearances, Trump groused to TV cameras outside court, calling the case a “sham,” a “scam,” and “a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.” He also angered the judge twice, incurring $15,000 in fines for violating a limited gag order with comments about a member of the court staff.

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