Trump and his adult children expected to be called to testify in New York fraud trial
New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to call former President Donald Trump and three of his adult children to testify at his civil fraud trial set to begin in New York next week, court documents showed.
Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, are accused of committing years of fraud by overstating the values of his assets in his annual financial forms. James’ lawsuit seeks $250 million.
Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump are among the 28 names on James’ list of witnesses to be called in the case. Trump’s sons, who are also defendants in the case, have run the company since Trump was elected president in 2016.
Also on James’ list are Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and personal lawyer, and Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization.
Defense lawyers in the case submitted their own list of 128 witnesses, which also includes Trump and his two oldest sons.
The two lists were filed Wednesday to Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron.
A day earlier, Engoron ruled that Trump, his sons and the company were liable for fraud in how they valued numerous real estate properties and other assets.
That searing ruling also stripped the defendants and the Trump Organization of their business certificates, and sanctioned multiple defense attorneys for repeatedly making frivolous arguments.
Six other claims of action against the defendants remain to be decided by Engoron, who will conduct the trial without a jury.
But an appeals court panel is expected to rule as soon as Thursday on Trump’s argument that some of the remaining claims be dismissed before trial because they are barred by the statute of limitations.
