Testimony at trial of former U.S. president for first time in 108 years
Trump “political witch hunt”… “Election intervention” against judges
Denial of allegations of inflating financial statements… SNS attack on Biden
Former President Donald Trump, who had the humiliation of being the first former U.S. president to have a ‘mugshot’ taken, was now questioned on suspicion of inflating his assets while sitting on the witness stand in court.
While former President Trump denied allegations that he intentionally inflated his assets, he repeatedly claimed that this trial was part of a political offensive and clashed with the judge several times.
According to the Associated Press and CNN on the 6th (local time), former President Trump attended the civil trial on suspicion of financial fraud held at the Manhattan District Court in New York City as a witness and answered questions from the plaintiff and judge for about four hours.
It is known that this is the first time in the United States that a former president has testified in court since former President Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president (1901-1909). It is said that former President Roosevelt was embroiled in civil lawsuits in 1913 and 1915 after leaving office and testified in person.
Former President Trump, sitting on the witness stand, criticized this trial as a political offensive.
Former President Trump said, “This trial is a political witch hunt,” targeting New York State Attorney General and Prosecutor General Letitia James, who filed the lawsuit, and asserted, “She should be ashamed.”
He also said about the suspicion of inflating assets, saying, “It is the exact opposite of fraud,” and “He (Minister James) is a fraud.”
On the other hand, Minister James expressed confidence to reporters outside the court that day, saying, “In the end, what matters is facts and numbers,” and “Numbers do not lie.”
Former President Trump also staged several scenes of conflict with Judge Arthur Engoron, who was in charge of the trial.
“This is not a political rally,” Judge Engoron said. He urged restraint, saying, “There is no time to waste,” and said to former President Trump’s lawyer, “If you can, please control him.” He also warned, “If you can’t do it, I will do it.” He also said, “You can attack me in any way you want. “But please answer the question,” he scolded.
Former President Trump took the microphone and said, “This is a very unfair trial. He complained, “I hope the public is watching,” while directly criticizing Judge Engoron for “interfering in the election” and “a hostile judge.”
Previously, Judge Engoron had already ordered the cancellation and audit of the business license, citing some of the plaintiff’s claims that former President Trump had inflated the value of real estate assets, and fined former President Trump twice, saying he had violated an order prohibiting criticism of court employees. It was also imposed.
Former President Trump is suspected of conspiring with his eldest son and the Trump Organization to profit by inflating the value of real estate, including the Trump Tower building in New York, the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and golf courses, for over a decade. Accordingly, the state of New York filed a lawsuit to recover unfair profits.
Former President Trump claimed that, far from inflating his assets, the financial statements in question did not reflect his actual wealth, and that financial institutions did not pay attention to financial statements when making loans.
Former President Trump also said, “All I did was tell people to approve the financial statements or give the accountants what they needed,” and as a result, “I took the information and in some cases made some suggestions.” He said that even if there was a problem, he did not intentionally or actively intervene.
He also argued that because this incident happened so long ago, the statute of limitations has already expired.
He explained that the reason Trump Tower’s area was listed as three times the actual size in the financial statements may have been a mistake as it was calculated without deducting elevators and other spaces.
Former President Trump told reporters after the trial, “You’ve seen what I did today, it was very decisive,” and emphasized, “Everything we did was absolutely right.”
He also campaigned for public opinion through ‘Truth Social,’ a social network service he created.
He posted a photo of Judge Engoron and Secretary James, and also posted a video of himself leaving the court and wrote, “It’s a sad day for America.”
He also said, “I spent a whole day in a Manhattan courthouse being praised by my political opponent, crooked Joe Biden.” “I agree that it is,” he claimed.
This trial is a separate lawsuit from the four criminal trials filed against former President Trump. This trial also involved former President Trump’s children, and last week, his eldest son and second son took the witness stand one after another. On the 8th, eldest daughter Ivanka Trump will also appear in court.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.