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New York Attorney General Letitia James has attacked two of Donald Trump's fraud trial witnesses, one of whom has contributed over $2 million to Trump's political campaigns.
Real estate executive Steven Witkoff gave expert testimony for the defense on Tuesday in the fraud case James has taken against Trump and his company, the Trump Organization.
In a video statement released online after Witkoff testified, James said Trump and Witkoff had been friends "for a long time".
Witkoff "is not an expert on issues in our case, but he did donate over $2 million to Trump's campaign," she said.
This is likely a reference to an article by the investigative website, ProPublica, which showed by May 2021, Witkoff had donated more than $2 million to Trump's political action committees and was an informal adviser on tax cuts during Trump's presidency.
Witkoff was the third defense witness after Donald Trump Jr. and tax lawyer Sheri Dillon, and the first expert to testify. Asked by the judge if he had ever testified as an expert before Tuesday, Witkoff paused briefly before responding: "I don't think so," The Messenger news site reported. Witkoff then joked that his mother might think he was an expert, which brought laughter from the courtroom.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron admitted Witkoff's testimony but said he could only talk about 40 Wall Street, one of the Trump buildings being discussed in the trial.
James' video statement also criticized the testimony of another expert witness who James said "couldn't even give a real-world example of his experience."
Summing up the evidence in the case so far, James said that "time and time again we have shown that Trump and the defendants live in a fantasy world, a world where the truth doesn't matter and where the rules don't apply to them. That's why this case is so important, because no matter how rich and powerful you pretend to be, nobody is above the law."
Her claim that Trump is living in a fantasy world echoes the judgment of Judge Engoron in September, when he ruled that Trump had committed fraud.
"In the defendant's world: rent-regulated apartments are worth the same as unregulated apartments; restricted land is worth the same as unrestricted land; restrictions can evaporate into thin air; a disclaimer by one party casting responsibility on another party exonerates the other party's lies," Engoron wrote in his 35-page ruling. "That is a fantasy world, not the real world."
Newsweek sought email comment on Wednesday from Steven Witkoff and Donald Trump's attorney.
The fraud trial stems from a $250 million lawsuit filed in 2022 by James, alleging that Donald Trump Sr. and top executives at his family company, The Trump Organization, conspired to increase his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and secure loans.
Trump, front-runner in the polls for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, testified on November 6. He has denied any wrongdoing and called the trial politically motivated.
Eric and Donald Trump Jr., senior executives of The Trump Organization, are also accused of assisting the former president and have testified in the trial stating they barely had any involvement with the annual financial statements of the company, which they had signed. Instead, they said they relied on the accounting firm they had hired.
In September, Engoron ruled that Donald Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., committed fraud in their property evaluations.
The court will decide on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims.
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more