Trump is expected to attend court proceedings in New York for most of the week
Former President Trump is scheduled to appear in court in New York City on Tuesday for a civil trial related to allegations against his family and business empire. New York Attorney General Letitia James is trying to build her case, arguing that the Trump Organization artificially inflated the value of its assets.
Trump first appeared in a Manhattan court in the first days of the trial earlier this month. However, he has since been touring the country, giving speeches and rallies as part of his 2024 presidential campaign.
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Most recently, on Monday, Trump traveled to Iowa and delivered a speech focused on expressing support for Israel, addressing counterterrorism efforts, and reaffirming his commitment to expanding the travel ban he enacted in 2017.
According to a source familiar with the former president’s schedule, he is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Former President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen was scheduled to testify this week, but his testimony has been postponed.
Cohen clarified his decision, saying, “I’m not recusing, and I’m not afraid to testify. There’s no financial implication. I have a medical concern that needs my attention. That’s straightforward.” He shared this on “X” formerly known as Twitter.
As a result of the postponement, Cohen’s earliest date to testify is October 23.
Amid these proceedings, New York Judge Arthur Engoran imposed a partial gag order prohibiting all parties from making disparaging comments about court personnel. The decision came in response to the former president’s social media criticism of a member of the judge’s office earlier this month.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, launched a lawsuit against Trump last year, accusing him and his company of providing misleading information to banks and others about the value of his assets. James argued that Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, their associates, and related businesses committed “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” on their financial statements.
However, an appellate ruling issued over the summer limited James from pursuing claims for transactions that occurred before July 13, 2014, or February 6, 2016, depending on the defendant. With this, Ivanka Trump was removed as an accused in this case.
Throughout the legal battle, Trump has sharply criticized Letitia James for bringing the lawsuit, expressed his displeasure with the lack of a jury in the trial, and expressed his displeasure with Judge Engoran, whom he labeled “corrupt.”
A spokesperson for Trump responded, stating, “The Attorney General filed this case under a consumer protection statute that denies the right to a jury. There was never an option to choose a jury trial. Unfortunately, a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”
In a significant development, Judge Engoron ruled last month that Trump and the Trump Organization engaged in fraudulent practices while expanding his real estate empire. These practices involved deceiving banks, insurers, and other parties by inflating the value of his assets and exaggerating his net worth on documentation used in various deals and financing arrangements.
Engoron’s ruling followed a lawsuit by Letitia James, in which she alleged that the former president had “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars” and asserted that his children played a role in facilitating this conduct.