Eric Trump Could Open Himself Up to Criminal Charge, Ex-Prosecutor Warns

After Eric Trump testified in his father's $250 million civil fraud trial, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner warned on Saturday that he could open himself up to a perjury charge.

The trial stems from a lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James filed last year, alleging that former President Donald Trump 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, who is campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and is the current frontrunner, has denied any wrongdoing and has 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 case.

During an MSNBC appearance on The Saturday Show with Jonathan Capehart, Kirschner, a MSNBC legal analyst and staunch Trump critic, was asked about Eric Trump's testimony in which he denied having anything to do with his father's financial statements in the case.

"It is so flawed. If he is not careful he may walk himself right into a perjury charge because if you lie under oath in a criminal trial or in a civil case, you could open yourself up to a perjury charge," Kirschner said.

According to New York state law, a person can be charged with perjury when they make a sworn false or written statement, including a false testimony. This charge can be either a class A misdemeanor or a class D or E felony, meaning that if convicted the accused can be sentenced to serve time, have to pay fines or be on probation for multiple years.

This comes after Eric Trump's testimony on Friday where he continued to reiterate that he relied on others to ensure the financial statements were accurate. However, documents shown during the trial by the attorney general's legal team also showed that he had to sign off on the statements estimating the values of some of The Trump Organization's properties.

Kirschner also noted that while Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.'s testimony "seems silly," he believes that the former president's sons are aiming to fight the possibility that Judge Arthur Engoron might ban them from doing business in the state of New York.

However, Kirschner doubts the possible strategy will work on the judge and said, "I don't think Judge Engoron is quite so gullible that he's going to believe anything Don Jr. and Eric have been saying."

Newsweek has reached out to Trump via email for further comment.

Meanwhile during an MSNBC appearance on Friday, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti was asked about his thoughts on Eric Trump's testimony and what this could mean for the former president in the case.

"I think they basically know they are headed towards defeat. I really think the defeat was shown when Eric Trump pleaded the fifth 500 times in his deposition and at that point it could be held against him. From then on it's really about a slow march towards defeat for Trump in this particular lawsuit," he said.

He added that he believes Trump's defense will continue to try to shift the narrative that they relied on accountants and lawyers to ensure the financial statements were accurate.

"They have to blame somebody and I will tell you, you can bet your bottom dollar that the accountants and lawyers are not going to march in there and say it was all their fault. I do think that's where they have to go and that's why they're trying to shift the narrative. Trump, when he gets caught in one lie, he always tries to pivot to another," Mariotti said.