Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to announce his return to a Manhattan courthouse for the second day of the civil fraud trial initiated by the New York Attorney General’s Office, seeking $250 million in damages.
Trump, while expressing his desire to be on the campaign trail instead of dealing with the legal proceedings, maintained his stance that he had built a substantial business empire. On Monday, outside the courtroom, he reiterated his claim that the charges against him amounted to interference in the 2024 presidential race.
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The lawsuit, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleges a decades-long fraudulent scheme by Trump, his sons Eric and Don Jr., and the Trump Organization, involving inflating property values. The trial, without a jury, is expected to continue until the end of December, and Trump, Don Jr., and Ivanka Trump are among the witnesses listed to testify.
Who is Donald Bender?
Former Trump Organization accountant Donald Bender testified that the financial information presented in the case had originated from the Trump Organization. Trump frequently engaged in side conversations with his attorney, Chris Kise, during Bender’s testimony. At times, the former president displayed visible frustration, gesturing and whispering into Kise’s ear, and even fiddling with documents related to the financial statements discussed in court.
Also Read: Who is Justice Arthur Engoron, judge and jurist presiding Donald Trump’s civil trial?
Prosecutor Kevin Wallace presented documents dating back to 2012, detailing the language used in the financial statements. Bender confirmed that these statements relied heavily on self-reported figures. Wallace pointed out that Trump Tower’s current value was assessed at $631 million, based on an evaluation conducted by the trustees in collaboration with external experts and a capitalization rate applied to projected building earnings. When asked who determined the building’s value, Bender indicated that it was the trustees.
