No doubt that's true, but it doesn't absolve him of responsibility for them.Lawyers with New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office presented evidence Thursday intended to challenge claims that the brothers were not involved with the former president’s statements of financial condition – which the judge has already ruled fraudulently inflated Donald Trump’s net worth to obtain favorable loan terms.
[...]
Eric Trump acknowledged he provided information to former Trump Org. controller Jeff McConney, who is also a co-defendant in the trial. But he tried to distinguish between specific statements of financial condition – his father’s personal financial statements at the heart of the civil case – and general financial records for the company.
[...]
Amer pushed Eric Trump to acknowledge he testified incorrectly in his deposition earlier this year when he said he wasn’t involved in the appraisal process for Briarcliff Manor, pointing to emails and phone calls about it.
After a lengthy exchange, Eric Trump said he stood by his testimony that he had limited involvement.
“That’s not the focus of my day. I focus on construction. I don’t focus on appraisals,” Eric Trump said Thursday.
Earlier in the trial, McConney testified that Eric Trump directed him to make certain decisions that led to the inflated valuations of several Trump properties.
[...]
Donald Trump Jr., whose testimony began on Wednesday, repeatedly said that he relied on his accountants and was not involved with the preparations of financial statements for his father, even though he signed them as a trustee of his father’s revocable trust.
As a trustee starting in 2017 once Donald Trump became president, Trump Jr. signed certifications for annual financial submittals required for Trump Organization loans at Deutsche Bank.
[...]
He testified that he didn’t draft the financial statements, and when he certified them as a trustee, he relied on the Trump Organization accounting and legal teams that he said would have assured him they were accurate to sign.
CNN
Turns out Weisselberg (who has already been convicted of fraud for the organization) wasn't one. You might think that would have been important.Some internal policies and methodologies “have been bolstered” since the investigation began, Trump Jr. said. One of those changes, he said, was hiring a chief financial officer who is a certified public accountant.
Executive vice presidents famously have little to do with their organizations. Am I right?Friday's questioning was brief, lasting less than an hour. Eric Trump reiterated his earlier testimony that he relied on the Trump Organization's accountants to prepare statements of financial condition, the documents at the center of the attorney general's case. He also faced questions about a $2 million severance package for Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's longtime chief financial officer who pleaded guilty to criminal fraud charges last year.
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In their respective testimony, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. each sought to blame the Trump Organization's accountants — both internal and external — for any inaccuracies that led to the state's allegations of fraud.
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On Thursday, Eric Trump and older brother Donald Trump Jr. each downplayed their connection to the financial records, saying they had little to do with the preparation of documents that inflated the value of Trump Organization properties and their father's wealth. Both Trump sons are executive vice presidents at the Trump Organization.
CBS
Ouch. How's he going to explain that to daddy?New York Attorney General special counsel Andrew Amer said he had been "happy with" Eric Trump's "great" testimony.
"This witness's testimony is extremely favorable to our case," Amer said.
In a day featuring testimony by two of a former US president’s sons, one of the most remarkable events in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial turned out to be the fighting between lawyers when it ended Thursday.
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The Trump family’s lawyer Clifford Robert accused the state of trying to “sensationalize” the trial by bringing up the uncontested fact that Eric Trump had previously invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination more than 500 times during a deposition in October 2020.
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On Thursday, with the DA’s criminal probe in the rear-view mirror, Eric Trump did not assert his Fifth Amendment right a single time.
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Last month, Engoron put Trump under a gag order for Turmp after the former president attacked Engoron’s clerk Allison Greenfield on Truth Social.
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That tension bubbled up once again when Kise commented on the Fifth Amendment issue, apparently sarcastically: “I’ll wait for you to ask Ms. Greenfield.”
Engoron scolded: "Do not refer to my staff again," adding that he may consider expanding the gag order to include the lawyers.
The Messenger
Trump will throw all three of his kids under the bus if it helps him.
And what will Ivanka say after Trump testifies?
...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.
UPDATE 05:41 pm:
UPDATE 11/04/2023: JFC
UPDATE 11/05/2023:
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