Donald Trump surprised everyone by appearing in New York for the first session of the fraud trial to which he, his company The Trump Organization and several of its directors are being subjected.
And until Monday’s session, in the multiple proceedings that have been opened against him, Trump had avoided appearing when he was not required by law, as in this case.
The former president took advantage of the presence of journalists to attack the prosecutor, Letitia James, and the judge, Arthur Engoron; and label a “witch hunt” a case that threatens to end his real estate empire in New York.
The process originates from an indictment filed in September 2021 by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who accuses Trump of having committed financial fraud for years to obtain economic benefits.
In a decision that can be appealed, the judge ordered the revocation of permits to conduct business in New York state for Trump and his two sons, who are executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization. He also imposed the confiscation of the companies subject to the lawsuit, which will be entrusted to liquidators.
Now, the trial that began on Monday must establish the amount of damages imposed on Trump, James is asking for $250 million.
These were the key moments of the first day of the trial:
1. James: “No one is above the law”
Prosecutor James arrived at the New York Supreme Court around 9:48 a.m. and addressed the media outside the courthouse to say that Judge Engoron had already found Trump and his co-defendants liable for “persistent and repeated fraud” and that the trial seeks to determine “the full extent of the fraud and its illegality.” “We will test our other claims,” James said. “My message is simple: no matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you have, no one is above the law. And it is my responsibility, my duty and my job to enforce it.” “The law is both powerful and fragile and today in court we will prove our case,” the prosecutor added, promising that “again justice will prevail.”
2. Trump’s presence in court
Just before 10 am, Trump appeared in the hallway of the New York Supreme Court where journalists were waiting for him, and like James, he also offered statements. He spoke for about ten minutes, visibly upset, saying that this was the continuation of the “greatest witch hunt of all time.” Trump called Engoron a “dishonest judge” and accused him of having valued his assets at a small fraction of his actual value. The former president accused James of being “racist” and said that the process against him was “a scam and a farce,” and that the real crime was being committed against him.
3. Trump obtained benefits to which he was not entitled
Leading prosecution counsel Kevin Wallace began his opening statement on behalf of the New York Attorney General’s Office by mentioning the recent Engoron ruling that found Trump and his co-defendants responsible for committing acts of fraud for years. . Wallace said such fraudulent acts are themselves the evidence needed to prevent Trump from obtaining bank loans. He added that Trump overstated his financial statements from $812 million to $2.2 billion, knowing the values were false, using them “to obtain benefits to which he was not entitled.” During his opening statement, Wallace showed videos of depositions from former employees of the former president, such as former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Both Weisselberg and Cohen are expected to testify during the trial.
4. Trump’s defense: the banks benefited
Trump’s lawyer, Chris Kise, delivered the defense’s opening statement, the central point of which is that the evidence can be interpreted differently. Kise maintained that Trump, while making billions of dollars from his real estate investments, built “one of the most successful real estate empires in the world.” The former president’s lawyer said that he will prove that there was no intent to defraud and that the transactions made thanks to the loans obtained had been “successful” and “profitable”, and that “the banks earned more than $100 million.” Kise said that there are different ways to value a property and that using one or the other does not mean that there was “intention to defraud.” Trump lawyer Alina Habba made similar statements to Kise and accused Cohen of being a liar in reference to a statement Trump’s former lawyer made in his deposition saying that the former president wanted to appear near the top on Forbes’ list of people richer and Weisselberg inflated the numbers and increased the value of assets to achieve this.
5. Judge: I hope all this has not been a ‘waste of time’
Bender, whose testimony was not concluded Monday, spoke at length about the Trump Organization’s accounting in 2011, a period that is outside the statute of limitations, as set by the appeals court. Judge Engoron, who allowed Bender’s testimony about the 2011 financial statements, told prosecutors: “I trust you can connect the 2011 documents to something that happened later, or this whole thing will have been a waste of time.” “. Trump’s lawyers agreed with what the judge said and Trump gave a thumbs up. However, during Bender’s testimony, several reports described Trump as “visibly agitated.” After the judge declared a recess until Tuesday, Trump spoke to the media again and said the entire case is nothing more than an attempt at what he calls election interference, referring to the Justice Department’s practice of not taking actions that could affect the result of an election, even though the case was brought by the state of New York and not the federal government. “The banks love our businesses, they loved our deals, they were not defrauded,” Trump said. “They made a lot of money and considered me a very good customer.” Trump is also expected to be present during the second day of the trial although he is not required to do so.
This Monday the trial against Trump begins in New York: we explain what the former president faces
2023-10-03 09:41:00
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