Donald Trump has refused to go back to the witness stand in his $250 million civil fraud trial filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James almost a week before it is expected to conclude. Trump’s last-minute change of plans came after eleven weeks of testimony, including his three children and the Republican candidate’s once-loyal employees.
The 77-year-old politician shared the news on his Truth Social platform in a lengthy two-part post. He claimed that thus far, he has said enough in his defense and wouldn’t return to the courtroom as scheduled on Monday, December 11, 2023. Meanwhile, he also criticized the legal system.
On Sunday, December 10, 2023, Trump wrote, “As everyone knows, I have very successfully & conclusively testified in the corrupt, Biden directed, New York state attorney general’s rigged trial against me,” per NBC News. He continued, “I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say other than this is a complete & total election interference (Biden campaign!) witch hunt,” adding, “I will not be testifying on Monday.”
Judge Arthur Engoron has already declared that the Trump Organization has committed fraud by inflating their wealth to gain favors. However, the former president has continued to deny the allegations and repeatedly called it a politically motivated conspiracy against him by his Democrat rival Joe Biden.
Although the decision to the civil trial is not expected until next year, Engoron has found that Trump’s financial statements were fraudulent. All that is left is to know how much money he’d have to pay as punishment and decide if his two sons- Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, can do business in the United States.
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The GOP front-runner’s attorney on the case, Chris Kise, reiterated shortly after Trump’s Truth Social post. “President Trump has already testified,” said Kise. “There is really nothing more to say to a Judge who has imposed an unconstitutional gag order and thus far appears to have ignored President Trump’s testimony and that of everyone else involved in the complex financial transactions at issue in the case.”
Trump’s attorneys expressed their anger when Judge Engoron placed a gag order on the former president, preventing him from using vile speech against the court staff, and also fined him $15,000 for violating it twice. They’d even tried to delay the testimony to present better arguments, but the judge declined.
President Trump’s Attorney Chris Kise on Gag Order Appeal to the Appellate Division. pic.twitter.com/HqWSFTLT8n
— Tony Kambeitz (@Kambeitz9) December 5, 2023
However, Attorney General Letitia James shared her stance on the former real-estate mogul’s decision. “Whether or not Trump testifies again tomorrow, we have already proven that he committed years of financial fraud and unjustly enriched himself and his family.” She added, “No matter how much he tries to distract from reality, the facts don’t lie.”
Previously, Ivanka, Eric, and Trump Jr. testified of their involvement in overvaluing their father’s finances. The 39-year-old also canceled his testimony. Trump ranted, “Eric has already testified, PERFECTLY, so there is no reason to waste any more of this Crooked Court’s time on having him say the same thing, over and over again, as a witness for the defense.”
The 2024 presidential hopeful testified many times in his defense, and during one of his appearances, he complained, “I should be right now in Iowa, in New Hampshire, in South Carolina. I shouldn’t be sitting in a courthouse,” per CNN.
However, it’s worth noting, despite his mounting legal battles, Trump is leading in the poll results against his party rivals- Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, including the current United States President Biden.