Former US President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon his arrival at a New York court for the third day of his civil trial for fraud, October 17, 2023 (AFP / Timothy A. CLARY)
One day in a meeting in front of the red caps of his supporters, the next day in court: Donald Trump returned on Tuesday to attend his civil trial in New York for vast alleged financial fraud, illustrating his dual campaign, between platforms and courtrooms.
“It’s a rigged trial,” said the former President of the United States in front of the cameras just before entering the courtroom.
As he did in the first days of the trial, he presented himself as the victim of a legal scheme hatched by the Democrats to prevent him from reconquering the White House in 2024. “All this comes from Washington,” he said. he said.
Donald Trump, who, due to his offensive and virulent statements, saw his freedom to comment on his legal affairs limited in several cases, denounced, as usual, a “witch hunt” carried out according to him by the attorney general of New York State Letitia James, who initiated the prosecution, “and should not be allowed to be attorney general.”
The 77-year-old billionaire then sat between his lawyers to listen, on the 12th day of the trial, to the testimony of one of the Trump Organization’s accountants, Donna Kidder.
In this civil trial, the attorney general accuses the Republican and two of his children, Eric and Donald Jr, of having overvalued his New York golf courses, residences and skyscrapers by several billion dollars in the 2010s to obtain loans more advantageous with banks.
Donald Trump, who is not required to appear and does not face criminal punishment, is playing big: control of his economic empire is at stake, in addition to financial penalties of up to $250 million.
His hearing is expected to take place later in the trial, which is scheduled to last until Christmas.
– “Thug” –
Present during the first three days of the hearing, Donald Trump had repeatedly and virulently attacked Letitia James, described as “horrible”, “corrupt” and “racist”, the judge leading the debates Arthur Engoron, “a thug”, and even the clerk whom he made fun of on social networks, attracting a sharp reprimand and a ban on doing it again by the magistrate.
Former US President Donald Trump during a hearing on the third day of his civil trial for fraud, in New York, October 17, 2023 (POOL / ANDREW KELLY)
In one of the other trials awaiting Donald Trump, over his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, the judge on Monday also banned any public comments targeting prosecutors, court staff and witnesses.
“I am a candidate for a (presidential) election and I am being prevented from expressing myself,” the former president castigated Tuesday morning in front of journalists.
Mr. Trump’s return to his civil trial could portend an explosive duel with his former lawyer turned sworn enemy, Michael Cohen. But the latter’s testimony was postponed for medical reasons.
The Republican billionaire should also be present at the hearings on Wednesday and Thursday, after two meetings on Monday in Iowa, as a presage of his campaign for the Republican primaries, of which he is the favorite in the polls.
In total, four criminal trials await the former President of the United States, the first of which, on his attempts to reverse the 2020 results, is due to open on March 4 before federal justice in Washington, the day before one of the biggest deadlines in the Republican primaries, “Super Tuesday”, which concerns around fifteen states.
– Established frauds –
Former US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting on October 16, 2023 in Adel, in the state of Iowa in the United States (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / SCOTT OLSON)
Even before the opening of the debates, Judge Engoron decided that repeated fraud had been established and that Donald Trump’s assets had been overvalued between 812 million and 2.2 billion dollars per year between 2014 and 2021. He therefore taken measures to confiscate and liquidate companies that could lead to the dismantling of the Trump real estate empire. But their application was suspended on appeal.
According to American media, Donald Trump should also, after the hearing in his civil trial, give a deposition in the context of lawsuits filed against the Department of Justice by a former agent and an ex-lawyer working for the FBI, on the sidelines of the investigation into possible Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.
2023-10-17 15:02:00
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