Former President Donald Trump took the witness stand in his civil fraud trial, where he criticized the State Attorney General and the presiding judge. His testimony followed that of his sons, who testified last week, and his daughter Ivanka, who was expected to testify the following day. This development was reported by Fox Five, with Sharon Crowley providing further details. Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the Attorney General, calling them racist and making unfavorable statements.
He described the situation as sad and unfair, stating that it should only occur in third world countries. Defiant and defensive, Trump criticized New York Attorney General Letitia James before returning to the witness stand.
James accuses him of inflating his company’s assets to obtain favorable bank loans. Trump has already been found guilty of fraud in this civil case.
The trial is in the penalty phase, with the judge deciding the consequences instead of a jury. Trump could face penalties of $250 million and a potential ban on conducting business in New York.
The former president repeatedly misrepresented and inflated the value of his assets, according to the Attorney General. He clashed with the judge multiple times, with the judge even asking one of Trump’s lawyers to control him. The judge also threatened to remove Trump from the witness stand for turning his answers into a speech, emphasizing that the courtroom is not a political rally. One of Trump’s defense lawyers, Alina Haba, described being told to sit down and being yelled at by the judge, whom they described as unhinged and slamming a table.
Kerry London, a defense lawyer in New York City, highlighted the significance of the judge using the word “contrite” twice in the first hour, warning that this is not something one wants to hear in a judge trial..
