Real estate agents say it’s possible it could fetch $1 billion as a home. Trump’s financial statements have valued the sprawling Palm Beach club as high as $739 million, based on what James’ office argues is a false premise that it could be sold as a private residence. Trump suggested he or his heirs could someday depart from a decades-old agreement that limits the use of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. AT MAR-A-LAGO, ‘FOREVER’ ISN’T NECESSARILY FOREVER Outside court Monday, James said Trump was “engaging in distractions and engaging in name calling” to steal attention from the evidence against him. James made a short-lived run for New York governor in 2021 before winning reelection as attorney general last year. In her case, definitely for political reasons.” Trump also directed his enmity at Kevin Wallace, the lawyer from James’ office who was questioning him, saying: “People like you go around and try and demean me and try and hurt me. “She’s a political hack, and this is a disgrace that a case like this is going on,” Trump testified, adding that James “should be ashamed of herself.” On the witness stand, he tore into the Democrat, accusing her of pursuing him to advance her political career. Trump looked away from Attorney General James and scowled as he walked past her on the way into court. “The education of his grandchildren - that is going to be some kind of a breach where you want to put a man in jail? It’s a very sad thing,” Trump lamented. Despite the revelation about his trusted lieutenant, Trump said he never thought to go back and review Weisselberg’s work. Trump testified that he’d learned of Weisselberg’s tax misdeeds only through last year’s trial, where the ex-executive testified that his schemes were unknown to his boss. “People went after him viciously and violently because he happened to work for me.” “It was a sad, very sad thing,” Trump testified. The Trump Organization was ordered to pay a $1.6 million fine. ‘A VERY SAD THING’ FOR EX-CFOĪs Trump wrapped up his testimony, he expressed sorrow for Weisselberg, his longtime finance chief who pleaded guilty and served jail time last year for evading taxes on pricey company-paid perks, including a Manhattan apartment, luxury cars and private school tuition for his grandchildren.Īt a trial largely built on Weisselberg’s testimony, Trump’s company was convicted last year of helping executives dodge taxes on such perks. “Well, you are wrong on the opinion,” Trump responded. “If you want to know about the disclaimer clause, read my opinion again, or for the first time, perhaps.” We are not going to hear about the disclaimer clause,” the judge bellowed. Trump mentioned the disclaimer more than a dozen times, at one point irking Engoron, whose pretrial ruling found that the clause didn’t insulate Trump from liability. The disclaimer said, among other things, that the financial statements weren’t audited by outside accountants. Don’t take anything from this statement for granted.” Trump said the disclaimer instructed banks and others: “Do your own due diligence. Regardless, he said, the statements had a “disclaimer clause that was very, very powerful” that absolved him and his company of responsibility. Trump testified that he had no qualms with how his financial statements turned out and that, if anything, they undervalued some of his properties. Trump testified that he typically kept $300 million to $400 million in the bank, saying, “I’ve had a lot of cash for a long time.” He testified that the documents, which listed values for his properties and assets, were “nice to see” but “weren’t very badly needed” to obtain financing and make deals.Įven when banks required Trump to provide copies of his financial statements as part of a loan agreement, he testified that they really wanted to know if he had enough cash to cover the loan. In defending his business practices, Trump sought to downplay the importance of the annual statements of financial condition at issue in the case. On the witness stand, Trump suggested the judge should’ve showed him deference as a former president, testifying, “How do you rule against somebody and call them a fraud, as the president of the United States, who did a great job?” STATEMENTS ‘WEREN’T VERY BADLY NEEDED’ Trump later posted Engoron’s “not here to hear what he has to say” comment to his Truth Social account. Engoron’s admonition only gave Trump more ammunition to claim he was being mistreated.
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