🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Donald Trump's attorney Alina Habba has praised the former president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., after the latter testified in court as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil lawsuit.
Speaking to Newsmax, Habba said Donald Trump Jr. had a "strong day" in court while answering questions under oath about the Trump family's real estate business dealings.
James' $250 million lawsuit alleges that the former president and his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., filed fraudulent financial statements overvaluing a number of properties and assets for years.
During his testimony, Donald Trump Jr. said that he had no direct involvement in filling the financial statements cited in James' lawsuit, and doing so was the job of accountants who worked at The Trump Organization. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, senior executives at the family real estate business, and the former president deny all wrongdoing in connection with the civil fraud trial.
Donald Trump Jr. is expected to continue testifying on Thursday, followed by Eric Trump. The former president is set to take to the stand to testify on Monday, November 6.
"We had a very strong day today. Don was clear, concise, made it very clear that he relied on professionals and I think the testimony speaks for itself, frankly," Habba told Newsmax host Eric Bolling.
"They did nothing wrong. This is not a witch hunt that has any meat to it—most of them are completely nonsensical, as we know—but it was an event for Letitia James to show up and have her press moment and that's why this is all happening," Habba said. "Let's just not get it twisted, it's political."
Trump, the frontrunner in the GOP presidential primary, has alleged that the civil trial, as well as other criminal investigations into him, are politically motivated "witch hunts" to stop him winning the 2024 election.
Habba said that James' office seeking testimony from Trump's family is a "whole new low" and prevents them from campaigning and "doing what they need to do" to win the next election.
"Unfortunately, it's not working for them. If you look at the poll numbers, he's doing amazing. And frankly, they're just giving him a platform. Does it mean it's right? No, but they [James' office] are miscalculating their steps."
James' office has been contacted for comment via email.
Donald Trump Jr. told the court he did sign off on paperwork, but was not involved in deciding the valuations in the financial statements.
"Those people would have more intimate understanding of the specifics of those things," Donald Trump Jr. testified, according to media reports.
"And whoever was bringing me a document, if it was more accounting, it was probably from accounting. If it was more legal, it would be from legal. And, 'Hey, are we okay signing this document? Do you believe it to be honest and accurate?' And if they were okay with it, they'd have much more knowledge than I would ever be able to amass, so I would sign it."
Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the civil fraud trial, has already ruled that Trump had committed fraud by misrepresenting the value of his properties for years. The civil trial is now considering six remaining allegations in James' lawsuit, as well as the size of the penalty.
The former president faces being banned from doing business in New York state, having his properties removed from his control or being forced to pay a fine totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
fairness meter
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more