Eric Trump Stumbles in Court Testimony

Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and son of former President Donald Trump, appears to have gotten twisted-up when questioned on his knowledge of his father's financial statements that are at the heart of Trump's New York business fraud case.

Eric took the witness stand for the first time Thursday after his elder brother, Donald Trump Jr., finished up cross-examination that same morning. Trump's two oldest sons are listed alongside their father as defendants in New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million lawsuit, which accuses the Trump Organization of misvaluing its assets for financial gains. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Amer hammered Eric Trump before the court's lunch break Thursday on his involvement in the Trump Organization's statements of financial condition—the documents behind the misvaluing of Trump's assets that could sink the former president's businesses.

According to reporting by The Messenger correspondent Adam Klasfeld, Eric Trump told Amer that he "never had anything to do with the statements of financial condition." Prosecutors presented, however, a series of emails as well as several phone conversations that show Eric Trump discussing such documents with employees of the Trump Organization, including former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, a co-defending in the fraud case.

In one document in particular—a data spreadsheet supporting the 2013 statement of financial condition—then-controller of the Trump Organization Jeff McConney writes that the valuation of Seven Springs was based on a telephone call with Eric Trump. Klasfeld reported on X, formerly Twitter, that prosecutors also presented an email from August 2013 that was sent from McConney to Eric Trump regarding "Mr. Trump's annual financial statement."

McConney is also listed as a defendant in the civil fraud case.

"So you did know about your father's annual financial statement, as of August 20, 2013, didn't you?" Amer pressed Eric Trump after presenting the email chain.

"It appears that way, yes," Eric Trump responded, according to CNN's report.

After Thursday's lunch break, Eric Trump tried to clarify the difference between discussing finances with McConney and discussing the specific statements of financial condition that are tied to the accusations in the suit. CNN reported that Eric Trump acknowledged the August 2013 email, adding, "I clearly understand that I sent notes to Jeff McConney, I worked with him almost every day."

"What seems to not be registering is the difference between sending things used for financials and sending things used for a statement of financial condition," he added.

Eric Trump added from the witness stand that he didn't "think it ever registered" to him that the conversation with McConney in question "was for a personal statement of financial condition."

"It was a detail that was irrelevant to me," he said.

Trump has said that the accusations against him in the civil suit are part of a greater "witch hunt" to upset his 2024 reelection chances and denies any wrongdoing. In a post to Truth Social on Thursday, the former president said that it was "so sad" to watch his sons testify in the case as well. Trump is expected to take the witness stand next week.

"My $WORTH is far GREATER than on Financial Statements, plus they contain a full DISCLAIMER CLAUSE telling readers of this information to do their own due diligence and analysis," Trump wrote in the post.

Chris Kise, an attorney for Trump, declined to comment.