Trump son glowingly testifies of father’s ‘vision’
NEW YORK — Donald Trump Jr. returned to court Monday as something of a character witness for his father’s real estate empire, waxing exuberantly about the former president’s “incredible vision” as a developer and his company’s portfolio of “great, iconic projects” at the New York civil fraud trial now threatening its future.
Donald Trump’s eldest son was making an encore appearance at the Manhattan trial, this time as defense lawyers started calling their own witnesses. The younger Trump first testified two weeks ago in the last phase of the state’s case, which also featured testimony from his father and siblings Eric and Ivanka Trump.
New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges that the former president, his company and executives, including his two eldest sons, exaggerated his wealth by billions of dollars on financial statements given to banks, insurers and others. The documents were used to secure loans and make deals. James is seeking more than $300 million in what she says were ill-gotten gains and a ban on the defendants doing business in New York.
The Trumps have denied wrongdoing. Their lawyers contend that the state failed to meet “any legal standard” to prove allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records. The state rested its case last Wednesday after six weeks of testimony from more than two dozen witnesses. Among them were company insiders, accountants, bank officials and Trump’s fixer-turned foe Michael Cohen.
Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony Monday set the tone for a defense case that is expected to last into mid-December. After a six-week state case that focused heavily on the financial statements, spreadsheets and loan deals at the heart of the case, the son aimed at humanizing the Trump Organization in the mind of the judge who will decide its fate.
Questioned by his own lawyer, Clifford Robert, he spent more than an hour narrating a slideshow titled “The Trump Story,” complete with a timeline of the company’s evolution and photographs of golf courses, hotels and other major projects. He spoke glowingly about his father’s early years as a Manhattan developer, his work turning eyesores into thriving skyscrapers and the “vision he had to do things differently.”
“He’s an artist with real estate. He sees the things other people don’t,” the younger Trump testified, playing up his father’s accomplishments while skipping over his failed ventures and casino bankruptcies. “He has incredible vision that other people don’t.”
Donald Trump Jr., a Trump Organization executive vice president, originally testified during the state’s case on Nov. 1 and 2. He said then that he never worked on the annual financial statements at the heart of James’ lawsuit. He said he relied on the company’s longtime finance chief and outside accountants to verify their accuracy.
Before the trial, Judge Arthur F. Engoron ruled that the defendants committed fraud by inflating the former president’s net worth and the value of assets on his financial statements. He imposed a punishment that could strip Trump of marquee properties like Trump Tower, though an appeals court is allowing the former president to remain in control for now.
The trial is proceeding after Engoron rebuffed the defense’s request last week to end it early through what is known as a directed verdict. Engoron did not rule on the request, but indicated that the trial would move ahead as scheduled.
The younger Trump is scheduled to testify further today, followed by a tax lawyer who also testified as a state witness. Eric Trump is also expected to return to the witness stand.
The defense also plans to call several expert witnesses as part of their case in an attempt to refute testimony from state witnesses that Trump’s financial statements afforded him better loan terms and insurance premiums and were a factor in dealmaking.