Attorneys for Donald Trump told the court Monday that they plan to call the former president to the stand on December 11 as their last witness in the New York civil fraud trial.
His son Eric Trump, also a defendant, is slated to testify on December 6, according to Trump attorney Chris Kise.
This will be the former president and Eric Trump’s second trip to the witness stand as they were called by the New York attorney general’s office earlier this month.
The defense has previously said it will finish presenting its case by mid-December.
Trump Org. doesn’t keep a personal financial statement for Donald Trump anymore, executive says
A Trump Organization executive testified in court Monday that the company no longer compiles the personal financial statement – the statement of financial condition – for the former president because they are not required by any lenders at this time.
“It is not prepared to my knowledge,” Mark Hawthorn said. “There is not a roll up financial statement of the company.”
Trial evidence has shown Trump Org. contracted an accounting firm to compile a statement of financial condition for Donald Trump at least until 2021.
Donald Trump and his co-defendants have already been found liable for committing fraud, in part, for inflating those personal documents over a period of years to obtain better loan terms.
“The all-encompassing financial statements are not required by any Trump Org. lenders at this time,” Hawthorn said.
Hawthorn, who is the chief operating officer for the Trump Org. hotels division, testified Monday that he was never personally involved in the preparation of Donald Trump’s personal statements of financial condition.
He does oversee compilations and audits for certain Trump Org. entities, so he is familiar with the loan requirements for several properties including Trump Doral Golf Resort Spa, Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, and the Old Post Office – all of which are at issue in this case.
He’s dealt directly with Deutsche Bank on annual compliance requirements for the loans for the last few years before they were paid off in full.
Four Deutsche Bank officials who were involved in the Trump loans are expected to testify under subpoena starting on Tuesday along with another expert at the end of the week.
Independent monitor witness debate
Monday afternoon, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled to preclude testimony from the independent monitor appointed in the case, Judge Barbara Jones, and a member of her staff, denying a Trump defense request to call them in the case.
Trump’s attorneys had indicated they intend to call Jones and a lawyer on her staff to testify about her findings and the Trump Org.’s cooperation since Jones was appointed as monitor last fall.
Engoron said the request is untimely and inappropriate because Jones and her staff are “arms of the court and you cannot question the court in this manner.”
The independent monitor submits status reports to the court about ongoing Trump Org. business and those reports “speak for themselves,” the judge said.
Engoron also said he would not want to risk the creation of a conflict of interest that would require a new monitor be appointed in this case.
Hawthorn, who is a liaison for Trump Org. with the monitor, said Jones has not expressed any findings of fraud or irregularities within the company and that the company has fully complied with the reporting process.
Trump attorney Kise renewed the request for the monitor’s testimony at the conclusion of Hawthorn’s testimony, arguing that Jones should be permitted to testify about her report because the parties dispute whether an August status report had negative implications.
The attorney general is the only one claiming fraud, Kise said. “The bank hasn’t, the monitor hasn’t. They’re the only ones jumping up and down and saying there’s fraud.”