Summary
Here’s a quick overview of what happened during Donald Trump Jr’s second moment on the witness stand at his father’s New York fraud trial:
Much of the hours-long testimony was spent going through a presentation of the history of the Trump Organization and its property portfolio. Trump Jr showered praise on the company and his father, painting a picture of a successful real estate mogul who turned decrepit properties into luxury real estate holdings.
Trump Jr described his father as an “artist” who used his real estate company as his creative canvas. Trump Sr was able to find “sexiness within a real estate project”.
Prosecutors voiced multiple objections throughout the testimony, but judge Arthur Engoron ultimately said because there’s no jury “I’ll allow some leeway here,” and allowed Trump Jr ramble on about the company.
Cross-examination lasted around five minutes, where prosecutors offered a brief reality check for the court, pointing out that the Trump Organization had a loan for 40 Wall Street transferred to a loan servicer and that the owner of the Trump Hotel in Waikiki is paying to remove the Trump name from the hotel.
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On his way out of court, Donald Trump Jr made brief comments to the cameras outside, briefly railing against attorney general Letitia James.
“It’s just a really sad state of affairs for the state of New York,” Trump Jr said. There is “no actual person complaining other than the attorney-general herself.”
Meanwhile in the courtroom, Sheri Dillon, who was a tax lawyer for the Trump Organization and helped the company with appraisals, is back on the witness stand. She was last on the stand October 27.
“It’s like a reunion,” judge Arthur Engoron joked when Dillon took the stand.
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