Donald Trump Jr. is expected to once again take the witness stand Monday to help his dad refute Attorney General Letitia James’ claim that their Trump Organization fraudulently inflated the values of its properties in financial statements.
Don Jr., 45, will be the first witness called by his dad’s defense team after James rested her case last Wednesday, they previously announced.
He was previously called to testify by James’ side, and was questioned for less than four hours about his role as an executive vice president for the Trump Organization.
In his testimony earlier this month, Trump Jr. said he never worked on the annual financial statements central to James’ argument and instead relied on the company’s longtime finance chief and outside accounts to verify their accuracy.
“I had an obligation to listen to the people with intimate knowledge of those things,” Trump Jr. said on the stand.
“If they put something forward, I wasn’t working on the document, but if they tell me that it’s accurate, based on their accounting assessment of all of the materials… These people had an incredible intimate knowledge and I relied on it.”
Donald Trump Jr. is expected to take the witness stand on Monday as his father’s defense team fights claims that the Trump Organization fraudulently inflated property values.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Trump Jr. was previously called to testify by James’ side, and was questioned for less than four hours about his role as an executive vice president for the Trump Organization.REUTERS
He was not cross-examined at the time by attorneys for his father, former President Donald Trump.
Cross-examination can only cover topics that were already covered on direct questioning. By recalling a witness instead of cross-examining them, a lawyer can better control the narrative of the testimony.
Following his testimony, the former first son echoed his father’s claims that the case was “purely a political persecution” brought by James to blunt Trump’s chances of winning the presidency in 2024.
“I think it’s a truly scary precedent for New York — for me, for example, before even having a day in court, I’m apparently guilty of fraud for relying on my accountants to do, wait for it: accounting,” he told reporters.
Trump’s team is also expected to call several expert witnesses as they seek to downplay the significance of the financial statements.Steven Hirsch
Trump Jr. is now expected to testify on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a tax lawyer who was also previously questioned by James’ attorneys.
The defense also plans to call several expert witnesses as they seek to downplay the significance of the financial statements.
They were granted a win Thursday when the judge struck down a motion by the AG seeking to block four of their expert witnesses from testifying, according to a report by ABC News.
The former president’s legal team is expected to wrap up their witness testimonies by Dec. 15, though the trial is scheduled to last through Dec. 22.
With Post wires.
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