NY attorney general: ‘I will not be bullied’
New York attorney general Letitia James stood by the prosecution’s work after a contentious day with Trump in court.
“At the end of the day, the documentary evidence demonstrated the fact he falsely inflated his assets to basically enrich himself and his family,” she said.
She said the former president chose to “engage in distractions” while on the stand.
“I will not be bullied,” James said.
Trump testimony summary
When Donald Trump’s time on the witness stand at 60 Centre Street came to a close Monday afternoon, one motif dominated the proceedings.
Over and over again, Trump tried to make himself the victim in this civil fraud case against him--railing against state attorney general Letitia James, judge Arthur Engoron, and “democrat lawyers,” as well as “election interference.” All the while, Trump insisted that he was more than wealthy enough for his contested statements of net worth to be accurate.
Here are some key moments from the afternoon session of Trump’s meandering, combative, and self-aggrandizing testimony.
Trump, who faces criminal charges for alleged election meddling, decried the trial as “election interference” during one of his testy digressions. Trump got onto the topic of election chicanery by saying “this case is a disgrace.” He then said that James was more concerned about sitting in court despite “everybody being killed on the streets of New York.” Then came Trump’s mention of the 2024 race. “We sit here all day–-it’s election interference, because you want to keep me in the courthouse!”
Trump very much took issue with any suggestion that his wealth was not as he claimed. According to James’ suit, Trump secured favorable loan and insurance terms by puffing up the value of his assets, including real estate. When Wallace noted that several loan agreements required he maintain a $2.5bn net worth, Trump said: “I could have given them a few assets which were worth more than $2.5 bn.” Trump also wanted to make clear he was liquid. “I’ve had a lot of cash for a long time.
The ex-president also feigned ignorance about details of financial transactions. He said, for example, that a loan for his project in Chicago was paid off recently, but couldn’t recall when exactly. Wallace asked him: “Are you aware that the Trump Chicago loan was paid off last week?” Trump said, “I heard it was…I don’t know if it was last week. I know it was recently.” He claimed that son Eric Trump made the call to pay off the loan early.
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