Trump fraud trial enters third day
Former US President Donald Trump again criticized the judge and attorney general on the third day of the trial against him in New York regarding accusations that he “defrauded numerous individuals and institutions over the years in the real estate industry.” Trump attended the third day of the trial at the State Supreme Court in Manhattan and left the courthouse during his lunch break to return to his mansion in Florida. Speaking to reporters as he exited, Trump lashed out at Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the case, saying, “The judge already knows what he’s going to decide, he’s a Democrat.” Trump also criticized New York Attorney General Letitia James for filing a “fake lawsuit” and said, “I’d rather be in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Ohio right now. But I’m stuck here because I have a corrupt attorney general who is communicating with the Justice Department in Washington to keep me busy, because I’m leading (US President Joe) Biden by a large margin in the polls.” When asked why he attended the hearings even though he was not required to come to court, Trump said, "Because I wanted to show the press how corrupt this is, because there didn't seem to be anyone else who could do that." "The Donald Trump show is over" Attorney General James also told reporters as he entered the afternoon session that Trump's statements were offensive, baseless and devoid of facts, saying, "This case was brought because individuals were involved in a fraudulent scheme and practice. I will not bow to this bullying." James made the assessment, "Mr. Trump is no longer here. The Donald Trump show is over. This was nothing more than a political show, a fundraising show." On the other hand, Trump's lawyers today appealed to the New York Court of Appeals regarding Judge Engoron's decision last week that Trump and the other defendants were responsible for the fraud. The appeal requested an assessment of whether Judge Engoron "made errors of law and/or fact, abused his discretion and/or acted beyond his authority" in making his decision. “I will testify at the appropriate time” As a result of the trial, which is expected to last until mid-December, Judge Engoron will decide on issues such as how much fines will be imposed on Trump companies and whether their licenses to do business in New York state will be revoked. There is no jury in court because the case is a civil fraud case, not a criminal one, and the defense did not request it. No prison sentences are expected to be imposed on anyone as a result of the trial. The trial is expected to last until mid-December. The former US President, who previously did not attend many of the hearings in the cases filed against him on charges of “sexual harassment” and “tax fraud,” announced that he would attend the hearings of this case despite not being required to testify, which was considered a “surprise development.” Trump responded to reporters’ questions yesterday about whether he would testify in the case by saying, “Yes, I will testify at the appropriate time.” New York Attorney General Letitia James, in the indictment claiming that Trump, his three children and his company overstated their wealth by $3.6 billion, asked the judge to is demanding that he not establish any more companies, be banned from purchasing commercial real estate for 5 years and be fined $250 million. In the lawsuit filed on charges of “defrauding numerous individuals and institutions in the real estate sector over the years,” Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that the former president and his company, called the “Trump Organization,” defrauded banks, insurers and business people by overvaluing their assets and exaggerating their net worth in agreements and financing documents. In his 35-page decision, Engoron stated that Trump and his company and its executives obtained favorable loans and low insurance premiums by repeatedly lying about their annual financial situations.