Donald Trump’s children have been asked to testify in the civil fraud trial in New York, sparked by a $250 million lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James last year. In the lawsuit, James accused Trump, his organization and his two grown sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, of knowingly participating in a scheme to inflate the value of the former president’s assets. The purpose of these actions was to provide financial benefits such as more favorable loan terms and insurance policy.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, accusing James of launching a politically motivated campaign against him. The former president, who announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election earlier this year, is the Republican front-runner with a wide lead over his rivals.
Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony began on Wednesday, and on Thursday his brother, Eric Trump, took the stand. Both have denied falsifying business documents and insurance fraud. Ivanka Trump is due to be questioned next week after her lawyers’ attempt to defeat a subpoena calling for her to testify was rejected by a New York court.
Although Ivanka Trump is no longer a defendant after an appeals court dismissed the case against her as statute-barred, she is still a witness in the trial in New York.
Prosecutors said Ivanka Trump was the “primary point of contact and negotiator with Deutsche Bank” for three high-profile loans at the center of the case.
Prosecutors added that she is still “financially and professionally with the Trump Organization.” Ivanka Trump joined the company in 2005 but left in 2017 to become a White House adviser after her father’s election.
Her lawyer tried to delay her testimony until November 8, saying she would face “undue hardship” as the case was originally scheduled for Wednesday – “in the middle of the school week”. But an appeals court rejected her request late Thursday.
The attempt by Ivanka Trump’s lawyers to remove her from the stand caused mass mockery of the former president’s daughter on social networks.
“Ivanka needs to get a babysitter,” MSNBC anchor Katie Pang wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“As always, Ivanka has her finger on the pulse of the hardships facing working men and women in America,” wrote psychologist and author Mary L. Trump, the former president’s niece.
“Who among us isn’t worried about leaving our children with the governess when we have to travel out of town to testify in their grandfather’s fraud trial? She’s so out of time and space,” she added.
“She has 6 babysitters, a mother-in-law who lives 2 blocks away, and a daughter-in-law who watches her kids when she needs her,” wrote Andrew Wortman at X. “But yeah, you better drop the Princess Ivanka trial because “is a school week” and this creates “undue hardship”.
Donald Trump accused Judge Arthur Engoron, who had been assigned the case in New York, of stalking his children, writing on Truth Social on Wednesday morning: “Leave my kids alone, Engoron. You are a disgrace to the legal profession!”. The former president must testify on Monday, Dnes.bg recalls.
