Trump and the New York business fraud lawsuit in the US - Trump ordered to pay $355m to New York for lying to banks

Controversial: Politics & Govt Politics & Govt: In The News
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A judge warned Donald Trump and others at his New York civil fraud trial to keep their voices down on Wednesday after the former president threw up his hands in frustration and spoke aloud to his lawyers while a witness was testifying against him.

Judge Arthur Engoron gave the admonition after Trump conferred animatedly with his lawyers at the defense table during real-estate appraiser Doug Larson’s second day of testimony at the Manhattan trial.

State lawyer Kevin Wallace asked Engoron to ask the defense to “stop commenting during the witness’s testimony”, adding that the “exhortations” were audible on the witness’s side of the room. The judge then asked everyone to keep their voices down, “particularly if it’s meant to influence the testimony”.

Trump did not talk about the case on his way into court past TV cameras on Wednesday, saving his usual vitriol about the lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, for a morning break. Inside the courtroom, which is closed to cameras, Trump grew irritated as Larson testified.

In a series of questions, Trump lawyer Lazaro Fields sought to establish that Larson had, at one point, undershot the projected 2015 value of a Trump-owned Wall Street office building by $114m. Larson said the “values were not wrong – it’s what we knew at the time”. Trump threw up his hands during the exchange.

Trump needs to be put in his place - a prison cell … :angry:

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A New York judge has threatened Donald Trump with jail for a “blatant violation” of a gag order in his civil fraud trial.

Judge Arthur Engoron said in court that the former president had failed to remove a social media post mocking a clerk at the court.

Judge Engoron demanded Mr Trump take down the “untrue and disparaging” post about the clerk earlier this month.

He said the post was deleted on social media, but remained on his website.

“Incendiary untruths can and have led to serious physical harm,” Judge Engoron said on Friday.

“I will now allow the defendant to explain why this should not end up with serious sanctions or I could possibly imprison him.”

Mr Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, apologised on his client’s behalf and said it was an “inadvertent” mistake because while the post was deleted from social media, aides forgot to remove it from the campaign website.

The judge said he would take the matter “under advisement” and rule on it later.

I would advise Judge Engoron to bang up Trump … :neutral_face:

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Judge fines Donald Trump for ‘blatant’ gag order violation

A New York judge has fined Donald Trump for violating a gag order in his civil fraud trial.

Mr Trump was fined $5,000 (£4,100) by Judge Arthur Engoron on Friday.

Judge Engoron ruled that Mr Trump pay a fine given that “the violation was inadvertent, and given that it is a first time violation”.

“Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, which may include, but are not limited to, steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him,” Judge Engoron said in his ruling.

A slap on the wrist, then … I’m disappointed … :frowning_face:

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Trump is expected to be in attendance for the testimony, which Cohen said will be the first time he has seen Trump in five years.

“I look forward to the reunion,” Cohen, once Trump’s lawyer, said. “I hope Donald does as well.”

Will Trump be silent … :question:

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Cohen, a fixer-turned-foe of Mr Trump, is a key witness in the trial. On the witness stand in the Manhattan court on Tuesday, Cohen said one of his responsibilities was to “reverse engineer” assets to increase their value based on a number “arbitrarily elected” by Mr Trump. He said he and former Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg would work until they reached their boss’s “desired goal”.

Mr Trump sat with a stony face and folded arms as Cohen entered the court. He appeared to look in his now-disbarred former attorney’s direction as he took the stand, but said nothing. As the court recessed for lunch, Mr Trump told reporters that Cohen was “not a credible witness”.

As he arrived at court, Cohen told reporters: “This is about accountability, plain and simple.”

His testimony marked the first time the two have been in the same room in five years.

“Heck of a reunion,” he said during the court break.

Trump kept it zipped while Cohen didn’t … :zipper_mouth_face:

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What to know about Michael Cohen’s second day of testimony

  • Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer and recent foe, returned to the stand today for the second day of testimony in the former president’s civil fraud trial.
  • Cohen testified yesterday that Trump inflated his assets and net worth based on his feelings. He also testified about Trump’s failed attempt to buy an NFL team a decade ago.
  • Trump is in court again today as well. The former president also appeared in court yesterday to stare down his former fixer, lashing out at Cohen during breaks and on social media.
  • New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing the former president, his company and his two adult sons for $250 million. Judge Arthur Engoron is presiding over the bench trial, which has no jury.
  • Cohen and defense lawyer Alina Habba got into a heated exchange over Trump’s net worth. After Habba raised her voice, Cohen responded, “Why are you screaming at me?”

There are a lot of personal personal attacks on Cohen from both Habba (inside the court) and Trump (outside). Trump comes close to breaking the gag order:

Speaking outside court, Trump said Cohen has “proven to be a liar.”

“He’s a felon, convicted felon for lying, went to jail for lying, and this is their only witness,” Trump said. “When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing.”

He also called Engoron a “very partisan judge with a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside him (1), perhaps even much more partisan than he is.”

“So we are doing very well,” Trump added. “The facts are speaking very loud. And he’s a totally discredited witness,” he said of Cohen.

(1) Judge Engoron noted that the “partisan” person could be either Cohen or the court clerk - Tump’s lawyer said that Trump was referring to Cohen … :roll_eyes:

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While Trump is busy slagging off all these witnesses, calling them untrustworthy liars, I can’t help thinking that Trump has employed all these witnesses to lie for him in the past!
In Trump’s World, it’s OK to be a liar, providing you are lying for Trump! :money_mouth_face:

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Trump, of course, does not know the meaning of truth:

Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over 4 years

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A New York judge fined Donald Trump $10,000 (£8,250) over remarks he had made to the press earlier on Wednesday.

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The Orange One is inwardly seething … :091:

Mr Trump had accused the judge and the person “sitting alongside him” of being “very partisan”. Judge Arthur Engoron found those comments violated a gag order against speaking about court staff during his civil trial for business fraud.

In an unscheduled hearing, Judge Engoran called the former president to the stand. The judge asked Mr Trump to explain who he was referring to when he told the press that Mr Engoron was a “very partisan judge, with a person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is.”

“You and Cohen,” Mr Trump replied, referring to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who was testifying against him that day. “Are you sure you didn’t mean the person” sitting to his side, Judge Engoron asked, meaning his clerk. “Yes, I’m sure,” Mr Trump said. “As the trier of fact, I find the witness is not credible (1),” Judge Engonon said, before allowing Mr Trump to step down.

The judge saw Mr Trump’s comments today as a further attack on this clerk.

Mr Trump’s lawyers, Chris Kise and Alina Habba, attempted to dissuade the bench, arguing Mr Trump was actually referring to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who was on the witness stand that day. Ms Habba at one point implied the judge was being unfair to their side (2). The “influence happening from the bench is completely inappropriate,” she said.

While Judge Engoron briefly reconsidered his decision, Mr Trump’s lawyers were ultimately unsuccessful and the fine ($10,000) was issued, with the judge warning the next violation would incur a more serious punishment. "Don’t do it again or it will be worse," he said.

(1) Ain’t that the truth … :laughing:

(2) Habba, too, is pushing her luck - Trump may have the wherewithal to get away with insulting judges but, if she persists in this case, Habba may find herself disciplined by Judge Engoron and dumped by Trump.

Shortly after:

Trump storms out of the courtroom with Secret Service agents chasing after him

Asked if Trump or Weisselberg directed him to inflate the numbers on his personal statement, Cohen said: “Not that I recall.”

Cliff Robert, an attorney for the Trumps, then asked for a directed verdict, arguing that the key witness testified that the defendant didn’t tell Cohen to inflate the numbers. The judge denied the request.

Trump immediately got up and stormed out of the courtroom with Secret Service agents chasing after him. The move was not expected and appeared to surprise even his attorneys. Gasps could be heard within the courtroom.

Apart from Habba’s personal attacks on Cohen, there was little activity of note on the case itself.

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Just another $10K in the pile of legal debt paid by his campaign funds. No reason for Trump to care.

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Oh, Trump cared … that’s why he stormed out of the court-room … it ain’t the money, it’s the principle (or lack of one in his case … :roll_eyes:) … :man_shrugging:

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Ivanka Trump had previously sought not to take the stand, arguing that she had moved out of the city and had stepped away from the Trump Organization. But Judge Arthur Engoron said she still maintains ties to Trump businesses and real estate in New York.

Prosecutors have argued that Ms Trump has important information to share about the case.

In his ruling on Friday, Judge Engoron sided with the prosecutors, writing: “Ms Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York.” He cited documents showing that she still had ownership or management ties to some businesses in New York, and that she still owns Manhattan apartments.

Judge Engoron said her testimony will not be scheduled before 1 November to give her lawyers time to appeal the ruling.

It’s a family affair … :family_man_woman_girl_boy:

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-67268643

Donald Trump Jr arrives in court

  • Donald Trump Jr is the first of the former president’s children to testify in a New York civil fraud trial, with Eric and Ivanka to be called to the stand in the coming days
  • Eric and Donald Jr, who are both senior Trump Organization executives, are co-defendants in the case - alongside the former president
  • Trump and his sons have denied accusations they falsified business records and committed insurance fraud, among other claims
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I’m surprised she’d not called Donalda.
I don’t know about Eric…?

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Donald Trump Jr, 45, appeared relaxed in the New York City court as he cracked jokes and denied wrongdoing but earlier this week, he appeared on the conservative Newsmax network to call the trial a “sham” in a “kangaroo court”. He testified for a little over an hour. His testimony will resume on Thursday.

The outset of his evidence focused on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) - the standardised practices and guidelines that businesses use to ensure financial records are accurately maintained. Mr Trump Jr said he was not familiar with GAAP, besides what he could recall from his time studying business at university. Pressed by state attorney Colleen Faherty on his understanding of the subject, he responded: “I have no understanding. I leave it to my accountants.”

Jr told the court that he has done “anything and everything” during his time working for the family business but he is not an accountant. His role in the company grew after his father won the White House and both Trump brothers became trustees of the company after his father took office in 2017, to avoid conflict-of-interest laws.

The afternoon in court proved mostly calm, aside from a few fiery exchanges between Mr Trump’s lawyers and the New York attorney general’s team near the end of questioning. Prosecutors began to press Mr Trump Jr on whether he was involved in preparing financial statements for the company. He denied having been involved, saying he relied on others to “put together a document of this nature”. “The accountants worked on it. That’s what we paid them for,” he said.

Mr Trump Jr told the court the task belonged to longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, who was also charged in this case and pleaded guilty last year to tax crimes. “I had an obligation to listen to the people with intimate knowledge of those things,” he said, adding that he “relied” on Weisselberg and his accounting team.

Seemingly, Jr is going to plead “ignorance” and blame the underlings for malfeasance … :thinking:

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Most recent info coming out of this court case seems to indicate that the judge thinks the fraud claim is pretty much proven. Thus, under a unique New York state law, the state can claw back the monies that the Trump organisation gained from their fraudulent actions. A number between $250m and $500m is being guessed at. What will not have helped Trump is that neither of the two lawyers he sits with actually practise in New York. One is from Florida and the other from New Jersey - so neither have much experience of this specific New York law. So two things to determine - who specifically was directly involved in the fraud and how much gets clawed back.
But of course this is all a political witch hunt against a very, probably the most, successful businessman. Right.

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As you say, Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that Trump and his family business committed fraud. Engoron is using this trial – focused on remaining claims of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records – to decide on punishment.

Right … :wink:

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-67268643

Over and over in response to Faherty’s questions and evidence, Donald Trump Jr continues to return to the same argument: he had no specific knowledge of how the statements of financial condition or other key accounting documents at the crux of the case were prepared.

He says that he trusted his accountants, the Mazars firm, and other employees around him who had been hired to manage the Trump Organization’s books.

Trump Jr dismissed

Eric Trump is now in the courtroom. He is more closely associated with his work running the Trump Organization than Donald Trump Jr, though they are co-leads.

Eric confirms that he was running the day-to-day operations of the Trump Organization along with his brother and, for a time, the now convicted CFO Allen Weisselberg but denies involvement with financial statements.

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“Yes we ran the company but we took no interest in the company’s financial statements”.
It is the number one principle of business that to run a successful company you should take no interest in the financial statements. Day 1 class at each and every business masters degree.

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  1. Two brothers, two very different styles

Although Eric and Donald Trump Jr arrived in New York court this week clad in nearly identical blue suits and ties, their demeanours on the stand were very different.

Mr Trump Jr appeared at ease, often cracking jokes with the judge and reportedly telling a courtroom sketch artist to “make me look sexy”.

Eric Trump, meanwhile, appeared tense as prosecutors grilled him about his ties to his father’s financial statements. More closely associated with running the Trump Organization than his brother, he sought to avoid yes or no answers linking him to the financial statements, which left prosecutors frustrated.

  1. The pair shifted the blame

They both suggested company accountants were responsible for issues with financial statements, arguing they relied on the experts to prepare them.

That strategy seemed less effective for Eric Trump, as prosecutors pulled up emails that indicated he had agreed in the past to provide financial information about properties to help with his father’s annual statements. The result was several tense hours of testimony as he tried his best to evade yes or no questions.

  1. Trump lawyers feuded with the judge

Sparks started to fly on Thursday, when lawyer Christopher Kise accused the judge and his law clerk of bias.

Mr Engoron argued there might be “a bit of misogyny” behind Mr Kise’s attacks on his female law clerk.

The judge’s remarks did not sit well with Mr Kise who said he was not a misogynist. “I’m very happily married and I have a 17-year-old daughter,” he said.

  1. Trump is watching closely

Although Donald Trump did not attend this week, his presence was felt and his opinion was made clear in a flurry of social media posts during proceedings.

He took to Truth Social on Thursday to defend his “very good children”.

“So sad to see my sons being PERSECUTED in a political Witch Hunt,” he wrote in one post.

Apparently, the brothers have no defence - they just deny everything while their lawyers waste the court’s time. On the other hand, the prosecution doesn’t seem to have much in the way of concrete evidence.