Here’s what happened…
Ivanka Trump has appeared as a witness in the non-jury civil trial related to a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James against her family and the Trump Organization.
According to Fox, initially Ivanka Trump was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, where it was alleged that her father, former President Trump, engaged in bank fraud and exaggerated the value of his assets with the involvement of his children.
During the summer, a New York Appeals Court removed Ivanka Trump as a defendant and also imposed limitations on the statute of limitations.
Despite her legal team’s recent attempt to avoid her testimony through an appeal, this request was denied, and Ivanka Trump is now taking the stand.
Former President Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that his assets were actually undervalued. He has emphasized that his financial statements included disclaimers requesting banks to evaluate the figures.
Both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have already testified during the trial, asserting that they were not involved in the creation of the financial statements and that their family had not engaged in any improper activities.
Ivanka Trump’s testimony is expected to be lengthy and may extend into the following day. She will field questions from both state attorneys from the New York Attorney General’s Office and lawyers representing the Trump defense.
Ivanka’s testimony follows her father’s extensive questioning on Monday, which was an unprecedented event. Former President Trump demanded a jury and criticized the civil trial against him and his businesses, describing it as a “disgrace.” He also claimed that it amounted to “election interference” and insisted that his net worth exceeded the figures presented in his financial statements.
In response to Trump’s testimony, one of his attorneys praised his performance, declaring it a “brilliant” display of facts. The attorney hoped that the American public’s awareness of the case might lead to changes.
Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, initiated the lawsuit against Trump, his children, and the Trump Organization, alleging fraudulent and deceptive practices related to the valuation of assets and financial statements.
James filed the lawsuit using a consumer protection statute that precludes the option of a jury trial, according to a spokesperson for Trump, who expressed disappointment that a jury could not assess the case’s merits.
During Trump’s testimony, Judge Arthur Engoron of New York attempted to curtail his lengthy responses to questioning from state attorneys and expressed a desire not to hear all his comments. However, Trump defended himself and his businesses while strongly criticizing the investigation, lawsuit, and non-jury trial.
Trump argued that the case was an attempt to harm him, particularly by Attorney General James, for political reasons.
In September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud by inflating the value of assets and misrepresenting his net worth on documents used for deals and financing.
Trump, on the stand, criticized the judge’s decision, claiming that he had been labeled a fraud without proper knowledge of his circumstances.
Meanwhile, Trump’s defense team has indicated that they may seek a mistrial.