Donald Trump Jr. faced tough questioning on the second day of his father’s New York civil fraud trial. Prosecutors grilled the former president’s son about his involvement in signing off on allegedly inaccurate financial statements for the family real estate business. Despite claiming that he had nothing to do with the statements, Don Jr. admitted to signing them but said he relied on the accounting team to provide accurate information. He also stated that he would have consulted with relevant parties and the legal department before signing off on the documents. Don Jr. emphasized that his sign-off did not indicate his personal approval or disapproval of the statements.
The prosecution presented a representation letter from the Trump Organization to Mazars, the accounting firm that cut ties with the business last year. Don Jr. acknowledged signing the letter but claimed not to remember the specifics. He stated that he trusted the accountants and relied on their expertise since they had more information and details than he did. Another document introduced by prosecutors stated that the trustees of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust were responsible for the accuracy of the information. Don Jr. again claimed that he only signed the documents and trusted others with the financial numbers.
Judge Arthur Engoron asked Don Jr. if he had any involvement in a statement of financial condition, to which Don Jr. replied that he did not. He mentioned signing numerous similar documents as a trustee but denied any responsibility for their content. Don Jr., along with his father and brother Eric, is accused of misrepresenting the Trump Organization’s assets to gain favorable loan and insurance terms. The prosecution questioned Don Jr. about being informed by a Forbes reporter regarding errors in the financial statements to Deutsche Bank. Don Jr. shifted the responsibility to the bank, stating that he expected financial institutions to conduct their own due diligence.
When asked about changes since then, Don Jr. mentioned that the absence of Allen Weisselberg, who spent time in jail for tax evasion charges related to the Trump Organization, had made a difference. Don Jr. presented himself in court wearing a dark suit and a light blue tie, joking with the courtroom sketch artist to make him look “sexy.” After the trial, he expressed confidence in his performance but criticized the case as a political persecution.
Eric Trump also took the stand and echoed many of his brother’s excuses. He claimed not to remember his involvement in manipulated financial statements and denied knowledge of them until the case came up. The prosecution questioned Eric about the overvaluation of the family’s Seven Springs estate and presented evidence of phone calls between Eric and a former Trump Organization comptroller discussing the numbers. Eric claimed no recollection of the calls but trusted that they occurred based on the comptroller’s notes. He emphasized that he had no involvement in the statement of financial condition.
Eric admitted that he reported directly to his father, describing the Trump Organization as a pyramid with his father at the top. He mentioned that after Trump became president, Eric, Don Jr., and Ivanka took over the running of the company. During Trump’s presidency, Eric claimed he didn’t report to anyone and that his father relied on him. However, he stated that he wouldn’t sell Mar-a-Lago without his father’s permission.
The trial continues as the prosecution seeks to prove that the Trumps misrepresented the value of their assets for personal gain.
