Summary
Here is a wrap-up of the hearing’s key events:
Eric Trump’s lawyer Christopher Kise gave an approximately 10-minute uninterrupted speech against the judge, Arthur Engoron, before Eric Trump took the stand. Kise made vague references to campaign contributions made by the court staff which hints to what the team says is “perception of bias”.
Eric Trump admitted that at the time of a conference call in 2021 about the financial statements, he was aware of the New York attorney general’s investigation. Prosecutors asked him whether it is his testimony today that he has no recollection of a call that covered the same subject matter of the NYAG investigation, of which he was aware at the time. Eric Trump said that he does not recall a specific call.
Eric Trump responded to signing a severance agreement with former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, saying that Weisselberg will not make disparaging comments about executives or employees of the Trump Organization in exchange for a $250,000 payment, given in installments. “I’m cetainly not a lawyer, but the seems to be the standard language of a severance agreement,” Eric Trump said.
Judge Arthur Engoron told Eric Trump’s team that he will continue to exchange notes and consult with his law clerks at any time and any place, despite complaints from the defense. Eric Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise continued to push back and insisted that he still needed to make a record. According to Kise, an appeal should be brought at the end of the case. Engoron said that he will issue a written decision at the end of the day.
That’s it for today as we wrap up the blog. We’ll be back on Monday for Donald Trump’s hearing at the Manhattan courthouse.
Updated
Judge Arthur Engoron told Eric Trump’s team that he will continue to exchange notes and consult with his law clerks at any time and any place, despite complaints from the defense, MSNBC’s Lisa Rubin reports.
NEW: Engoron tells Team Trump he will continue to exchange notes with and consult his law clerks at any time and any place, and I have an unfettered right to do so. If you want to appeal, you have more than enough ammunition.
— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) November 3, 2023
Eric Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise continued to push back and insisted that he still needed to make a record. In response, Engoron asked how often does he need to complain about this.
Kise insists he still needs to make a record. How often do you need to complain about this? Engoron said. Kevin Wallace then showed his own impatience, insisting they have been doing this for 4 weeks and transparently disrupting the AG’s presentation of the case.
— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) November 3, 2023
Accoridng to Kise, an appeal should be brought at the end of the case. Engoron said that he will issue a written decision at the end of the day, Rubin reports.
(The written decision presumably will give guidance to the defense about when and how they can object to the conduct they find offensive/inappropriate.)
— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) November 3, 2023
The hearing is now over.
Donald Trump is set to appear in court on Monday to deliver his testimony.
