Trump testimony in civil fraud trial expected to begin Nov. 6
Ivanka Trump looks towards Jarad Kushner as they stand on stage with other family members on the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Former President Trump is expected to testify in his New York civil fraud case beginning Nov. 6, after his three eldest children give their testimony, the New York attorney general’s office said.
Trump and his children were already on New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) witness list, though a judge decided earlier today that his daughter, Ivanka Trump, would be required to testify despite no longer being a party in the sprawling case.
Trump’s adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, were sued by James’s office alongside their father, the Trump Organization and several executives for allegedly engaging in decades of fraud. The lawsuit claims the Trump Organization falsely inflated and deflated the value of its assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage.
Donald Trump Jr. is expected to be the first Trump child to testify Nov. 1, followed by Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, the New York attorney general’s office told The Hill.
The Trumps have denied any wrongdoing, calling the case politically motivated and a “witch hunt.”
Trump briefly took the stand Wednesday to defend comments he made to reporters that Judge Arthur Engoron ruled were in violation of an established gag order. However, in November, he and his children will be subjected to detailed questioning under oath by prosecutors in James’s office, not just the judge.
Because the former president is under indictment in four criminal cases in addition to this civil case, his testimony will likely be sharply monitored by his legal team. As ex-Trump fixer and personal attorney Michael Cohen testified earlier this week, two attorneys from Trump’s legal team in his New York criminal case — which revolves around a hush money payment Cohen made on Trump’s behalf — were present in the courtroom, taking notes.
Trump and his children’s testimony underlines the significance of the New York attorney general’s case against them and their business empire.
Before the case even began, Engoron ruled that Trump and his companies were liable for fraud, finding James had proved the crux of her case. The decision stripped some of Trump’s business licenses and raised the potential for him to lose control of some of his famed properties, though an appeals court halted the cancellation of Trump’s business licenses until after it hears his case.