Kevin Wallace has been showing Trump a series of agreements for loans, which state his business is required to maintain a certain net worth and that his financial statements are “true and correct”.
The documents relate to properties like his hotels in DC and Chicago, and all bear Trump’s signature. By signing those documents, Trump was agreeing to those terms.
We’re getting into the weeds now, but also heading towards the crux of the attorney general’s argument - that Trump submitted misleading financial information to banks to secure favourable loans.
One thing that the average person may not be aware of: knowingly signing a bank document that has false information is punishable by 2 years in federal prison. It’s not punished often, usually bank employees who steal money (and sign documents with incorrect totals) and scam business owners (if you say you run a barbershop to get Covid relief funds, but don’t really have one).
This isn’t a criminal trial but he’s clearly using tactics that scammers use.
If you take him at his word, then that implies that Putin and Iran teamed up together to start conflict in Gaza, purposely to reduce support for the Ukraines in their war.
Be really sad if it’s true, as that means people are dying in a war in one part of the world to support a war in another part of the world, a war they have no part in.
If it’s an effective distraction and Putin and Co. have fully taken advantage by increasing their bombings in the interim, and taking into account the state of information warfare, who is to say that they’re not fanning the flames in their favor?
There are clearly degrees to which one conflict can influence another and I wouldn’t put it past the power-hungry politicians to strategize around every opportunity they get.
Prosecutors are continuing to go through a series of documents with Trump about several loan agreements, including Trump International Hotel in Chicago.
Kevin Wallace is asking Trump about whether statements of financial condition were included in the loan.
Trump is evading the issue of the financial statements and continuing to talk about how much cash and other assets he has.
Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor, said that Judge Engoron could have already “taken action” and held Donald Trump in contempt of court for his behaviour during today’s testimony.
Penalties for contempt, Epner added, could range from fines to “adverse inferences” and potentially even jail.
Judge Engoron already fined Trump $10,000 (£8,082) for comments made outside of court last month. Financial penalties could potentially be doubled after each outburst.
“I would not be surprised if the starting point for fines was $100,000 or something even higher,” Epner said.
“Whatever the judge does, it’s going to be designed to compel Trump to stop acting in the way he’s been acting”.
The legal team that didn’t bother to cross examine their own client after he testified for the prosecutor? I think they know.
Consider that for a moment. Trump himself just testified ONLY for the plaintiff. His own lawyers had nothing for him to answer at all.
They could have asked him anything like: “explain how it’s someone else that’s responsible for this” or “explain in detail how this is a witch hunt.” Literally anything.
Wow, the speech his lawyers just gave is an incoherent rambling that has says absolutely nothing of substance, completely misses all points and stirs people up. He got himself a clone as lawyer.
Trump has just spent the past five minutes airing his frustrations about the New York fraud trial while on the stand.
He points his finger at New York Attorney General Letitia James as he yells that the “political hack back there” is carrying out the probe to hurt him.
At the end of the rant, Kevin Wallace of the attorney general’s team asks him, “You done?”
“Done,” Trump says, prompting some laughter from the courtroom.
bbc.co.uk
Newest