Trump, 3 of his kids will testify in New York fraud trial in early November
After more than four weeks of testimony in former President Donald Trump's New York civil fraud trial, he and three of his adult kids will soon be called to court to testify in the case, attorneys for New York Attorney General Letitia James said Friday.
James' team has long indicated Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, would be questioned on the stand. On Friday, an attorney for James said the state will rest its case after they testify.
James' office expects to call Donald Trump Jr. to the stand on Wednesday, Nov. 1; Eric Trump on Thursday, Nov. 2; and Ivanka Trump next Wednesday, Nov. 8. Ivanka was originally set to testify on Nov. 3, but her testimony was pushed back, the court said Monday. Friday, Nov. 3, will now be reserved for further questioning of Eric Trump, if it's needed.
Assuming the revised schedule holds, Donald Trump will be called to testify under oath on Monday, Nov. 6. A senior campaign adviser said it's unlikely that Trump will travel to New York for his children's testimony, since he is going to be in Texas for much of the week. The adviser said Trump is likely to go to New York for his own testimony but hasn't finalized his plans yet.
The Trumps and their company have already been found liable for fraud in the case, but the trial has proceeded on allegations related to falsification of business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy. The state is seeking at least $250 million in what it calls "ill-gotten gains" and harsh penalties that would severely restrict Trump business in New York.
They're accused of misrepresenting the values of Trump properties and inflating estimates of Donald Trump's wealth, in order to obtain favorable terms on loans and insurance. James' office said the alleged scheme benefited them to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The defendants have all denied the allegations against them and accused James of pursuing them for political gain. Donald Trump has repeatedly stood just outside the courtroom doors, lashing out at James and the judge in the case, accusing them of being "unfair" and "biased" against him.
That anger has occasionally earned the ire of Judge Arthur Engoron, who has twice fined Trump for violating a limited gag order Engoron put in place after Trump made a derogatory social media post about a court clerk. On Wednesday, Engoron even put Trump on the stand to question him about a comment that Engoron ultimately concluded was about the clerk.
Ivanka Trump was initially named in the lawsuit when it was filed in 2022, but this summer, she successfully moved an appellate court to dismiss the allegations against her. That court found the allegations, which related to her involvement in loans to the Trump Organization, were outside the statute of limitations.
Still, James' office subpoenaed her to appear in this case. Ivanka Trump contested the subpoena, but Engoron ruled against her Friday.
Fin Gomez contributed to this report.