In an early Wednesday morning post on Truth Social, former President Trump criticized the judge overseeing his New York civil fraud case and urged him to leave his children alone. Trump also argued that there is sufficient evidence for the case to be dismissed. He referred to the trial as a “rigged” proceeding brought by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whom he labeled as racist, and accused Judge Arthur Engoron of harboring animosity towards him and developers. Trump cited his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who admitted to lying on the stand, as the so-called “star witness” in the case. Based on this fact alone, Trump insisted that the case should be thrown out.
Furthermore, Trump asserted that the financial statements from his businesses were undervalued, contrary to the testimony presented in the trial. He reiterated the defense’s argument that there was a disclaimer clause on the statements and emphasized that the banks were paid in full. Trump expressed his frustration with Judge Engoron, addressing him directly and branding him a disgrace to the legal profession. He also implored the judge to refrain from involving his children, emphasizing that he considers himself the true victim in this case.
These comments come amidst the ongoing civil trial initiated by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump’s businesses and his two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. The lawsuit alleges that the Trump family artificially inflated and deflated the value of Trump Organization assets to obtain tax benefits and better insurance coverage. Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to testify on Wednesday, while Eric Trump is expected to take the stand on Thursday. Their testimonies are anticipated to shed light on the company’s structure and their alleged involvement in the fraud scheme, as both sons hold executive vice president positions within the organization.
In addition, Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter, is also expected to testify in the case. Although initially named as a defendant, she was dismissed from the lawsuit by a New York appeals court in June based on the expiration of the statute of limitations. The former president himself is set to provide his official testimony on Monday, though he briefly took the witness stand last week to defend his comments to reporters, resulting in fines for violating a limited gag order.
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