See what Donald Trump Jr. had to say after being called back to stand in N.Y. fraud trial
Donald Trump Jr. defended his father Monday as a real-estate developer with "incredible vision" for "great, iconic projects" while testifying at a New York civil fraud trial, where he, his brother and father are fighting potential penalties that could end the family's namesake business.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused former President Donald Trump and two of his sons of fraudulently inflating the value of their properties to secure favorable loans. She is seeking $250 million in damages and the cancelation of their certificates to do business in the state.
Under questioning from government lawyers earlier this month, Don Jr. said he wasn’t familiar with key financial statements the company produced because he relied on accountants and other experts.
Testifying as a defense witness on Monday offered Don Jr. a chance to bolster the family’s arguments that lenders understood the company’s finances and were repaid with interest.
“You thought you were rid of me, your honor,” he told New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron jokingly as he took the stand. The last time he testified, he joked to the sketch artist that he wanted to look courtroom ''sexy".
Related: Trump Jr.'s request for courtroom artist to make him 'look sexy' was in jest, artist believes
'He's an artist with real estate'
James' lawsuit alleged the company's financial statements from 2011 to 2021 included a "staggering" number of inflated valuations of Donald Trump's assets used to get better insurance and loans.
Engoron ruled in September that Trump engaged in fraud by submitting inflated financial statements to banks and insurers. The trial is focused on damages Engoron might order.
A few protesters heckled Don Jr. as he arrived at court. One had a sign that said, "Trump crime family."
Don Jr., an executive vice president at the company, narrated a slide show for more than an hour about the company's evolution, with pictures of golf courses, hotels and other major projects, under questioning by his lawyer, Clifford Robert.
“He’s an artist with real estate. He sees the things other people don’t,” Don Jr. testified about his father, while skipping over failed ventures and casino bankruptcies. “He has incredible vision that other people don’t.”
Judge says Don Jr.'s testimony is 'interesting'
Government lawyer Colleen Faherty objected by arguing the testimony was “unfocused to anything relevant” to the case. But Engoron overruled her, letting the defense present its evidence.
“Let this stuff come in," Engoron said. "I also find it interesting.”
Don Jr. worked on a variety of projects, including Trump Park Avenue, Trump Tower Chicago and Trump Las Vegas. In earlier testimony, Don Jr. had said he relied on others for accounting.
“I think it’s a truly scary precedent for New York – for me, for example, before even having a day in court, I’m apparently guilty of fraud for relying on my accountants to do, wait for it: accounting,” Don Jr. told reporters on Nov. 2.
He said he didn't recall ever working on his father’s “statement of financial condition,” which is at the heart of the government's case. He left the work to outside accountants and the company’s then-finance chief and co-trustee, Allen Weisselberg.
“I had an obligation to listen to the people with intimate knowledge of those things,” Don Jr. testified. “These people had an incredible intimate knowledge, and I relied on it.”
During the government's case, Don Jr. declined to say whether he intended for Deutsche Bank to rely on certifications describing the company's financial statements. He said he was comfortable with their relying on the documents, and added that he knows a lot of bankers who perform their own due diligence.
Don Jr. also testified that he didn't have any specific knowledge about a spreadsheet James' team displayed that supported his father's financial statements. When a government lawyer asked if he would have the same answer for other years of supporting spreadsheets, he replied, "Rinse and repeat."
After Don Jr. and his brother Eric Trump had each testified, James posted a statement saying their testimony helped her fraud case against the family.
"They pretend that they were not involved in their family's fraudulent business," James said in the post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "But the facts tell a very different story."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump Jr. defends father, Trump Organization in NY fraud trial
