One day at a meeting in front of the red caps of his supporters, the next day in court: Donald Trump returned on Tuesday to attend his civil trial over alleged large-scale financial fraud in New York, highlighting his dual campaign between platforms and courtrooms.
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“It’s a rigged trial,” the former president of the United States told the cameras just before entering the courtroom.
As in the first days of the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim of a legislative plan hatched by Democrats to prevent him from retaking the White House in 2024. “It all comes from Washington,” he said.
Donald Trump, who has seen his freedom to comment on his legal matters restricted in several cases due to his offensive and virulent statements, denounced, as usual, a “witch hunt” by the Attorney General of the State of New York against Letitia James, who initiated the prosecution, ” and should not be allowed to serve as attorney general.”
The 77-year-old billionaire then sat between his lawyers on the 12th day of the trial to hear testimony from one of the Trump Organization’s accountants, Donna Kidder.
In this civil lawsuit, the attorney general accuses the Republican and two of his children, Eric and Donald Jr., of overvaluing his New York golf courses, residences and skyscrapers by billions of dollars in the 2010s in order to obtain cheaper loans from banks.
Donald Trump, who does not have to appear and will not be prosecuted, is playing big: control of his economic empire is at stake, along with fines of up to $250 million.
His hearing is expected to take place later in the trial, which is expected to last until Christmas.
“villain”
During the first three days of the hearing, Donald Trump repeatedly and violently attacked Letitia James, who was described as “horrible,” “corrupt” and “racist,” the judge presiding over the debates, Arthur Engoron, “a bully,” and even the clerk of the court over whom he spoke made fun of himself on social networks, which earned him a harsh reprimand and a ban from doing it again.
In one of the other trials facing Donald Trump over his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, the judge on Monday also banned all public comments aimed at prosecutors, court staff and witnesses.
“I am running for a (presidential) election and am being prevented from expressing myself,” the former president castigated to journalists on Tuesday morning.
Mr. Trump’s return to his civil trial could mean an explosive face-off with his former lawyer-turned-nemesis, Michael Cohen. But his testimony was postponed for medical reasons.
The Republican billionaire is also expected to attend the hearings on Wednesday and Thursday after two meetings on Monday in Iowa, as a preview of his campaign for the Republican primaries, in which he is the favorite in the polls.
In total, the former president of the United States has four criminal cases awaiting him, the first of which, concerning his attempts to overturn the 2020 results, is scheduled to open at the federal judiciary in Washington on March 4, a day before one of the largest Deadlines for the Republican primaries, “Super Tuesday”, which affects around fifteen states.
Detected frauds
Even before the debates began, Judge Engoron ruled that repeated fraud had been proven and that Donald Trump’s wealth had been overstated by between $812 million and $2.2 billion per year between 2014 and 2021. He therefore took measures to seize and liquidate companies that were capable of this. This led to the collapse of the Trump real estate empire. However, their application was stayed on appeal.
According to US media, after the hearing in his civil trial, Donald Trump is also expected to give a statement as part of the lawsuits filed by a former agent and an ex-FBI lawyer against the Justice Department, which were filed on the sidelines of the trial’s investigation into possible Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.