Donald Trump’s legal team finally rested their defense in his New York fraud trial, after one final courtroom skirmish where Judge Arthur Engoron told them there was ‘no way’ he would rule in their favor.
The final squabble came Tuesday, after Trump failed to appear in his own defense as he originally forecast and son Eric made a surprise appearance to watch the final moments of the family business’s case.
That came after the former president posted Sunday that ‘I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say.’
‘We do rest,’ Trump lawyer Chris Kise told the judge, who Trump attacked as ‘crooked’ throughout the trial while also firing off posts targeting his wife and chief judicial clerk.
Trump lawyer Chris Kise indicated took a series of steps on general court matters ‘for appellate purposes,’ prompting a quip from Engoron.
Eric Trump leaves Manhattan Civil Court after making a surprise appearance to watch the Trump Organization lawyers rest their defense
Lawyers for former President Donald Trump rested their case in his New York fraud trial
‘You’re going to appeal,’ he said, ABC News reported.
Kise said he planned to make a motion for a ‘directed verdict’ on Friday. That would be an opportunity for the judge to rule there was no sufficient evidence to the prosecution’s case, effectively ending a matter where he has already made a finding of fraud.
‘There is no way I am going to grant that,’ Engoron told him. ‘You’d be wasting your time.’
The statement came at the end of a $250 million fraud trial to decide on the amount of financial penalty Trump and the Trump Organization will face – with his ability to do business in New York State also on the line.
Trump has railed against his prosecution throughout the proceeding, including during his final courtroom visit Friday. He has used the trial to score frequent televised appearances before the media from inside the courtroom, and has seen his poll numbers against Republican opponents and President Joe Biden rise during the duration of the trial.
Judge Arthur Engoron told Trump lawyer Chris Kise there was ‘no way’ he would rule in favor of his motion for a ‘direct verdict’ on the case
Kise indicated that Trump’s team planned to appeal
Tuesday featured more questions from prosecutors about Trump’s penthouse apartment, which they say inflated its value by about $200 million by using inaccurate square footage
New York AG Letitia James, who Trump has repeatedly attacked as partisan and ‘racist,’ was inside the courtroom for the defense’s final presentation.
There was some more action from the prosecution Tuesday over the valuation of Trump’s penthouse apartment. Prosecutors say his firm goosed the value of the Trump Tower unit by $200 million.
Under questioning, from Trump International Realty exec Kevin Sneddon about how he came up with the valuation of the unit. He said he got the information from former Trump Organization exec Allen Weisselberg, who phoned in the information to get a value years ago.
‘I asked if I could see it. He said that was not possible. I asked if there was a floor plan or any specs. He said he did not have any of that information,’ Sneddon testified. ‘He said, ‘It’s quite large. I think it’s around 30,000 square feet.”