The evidence phase of the New York civil trial against former President Donald Trump and his business concluded Wednesday with state Attorney General Letitia James boasting that she proved her fraud case against the 2024 Republican front-runner, while the defense said it was looking forward to an appeal.
Judge Arthur Engoron scheduled closing arguments for Jan. 11 and plans to rule in the case sometime that month — a decision which will collide with the start of the GOP presidential primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and other states.
“In a strange way, I’m going to miss this trial,” Judge Engoron mused aloud Wednesday before the last hours of testimony, which were about accounting standards.
Ms. James asserts that Mr. Trump and his real estate business repeatedly submitted fraudulent financial statements to gain favorable terms on loans and insurance. The defense rested its case Tuesday and the state presented a brief rebuttal on Wednesday.
“We rested our case against Donald Trump for years of financial fraud. The judge already found that Trump engaged in significant fraud and unjustly enriched himself and his family,” Ms. James wrote on the X platform. “This trial revealed the full extent of that fraud, and Trump’s inability to disprove it.”
While Judge Engoron ruled some fraud occurred, the long-running trial centered on remaining claims and damages.
The trial began in early October and featured testimony from Mr. Trump, his two eldest sons, Trump lawyer-turned-accuser Michael Cohen and a long list of experts on real estate, accounting and property valuations.
Ms. James is seeking more than $300 million and wants to stop the Trump family from doing business in New York.
Mr. Trump on Wednesday continued to rail against Ms. James and Judge Engoron as biased, and dismissed the idea he might settle the lawsuit before the judge enters a final ruling.
“HE RULED THAT I WAS A FRAUD BEFORE HE EVEN SAW THE CASE, THEN TRIED TO GET ME TO SETTLE. A TOTAL HIT JOB,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday, referring to the judge.
Mr. Trump says the lawsuit was designed to thwart his 2024 presidential campaign. He is leading the rest of the GOP primary field by 40 to 50 points in most polls.
Mr. Trump says Ms. James and her lawyers do not understand basic real estate practices, and that banks were happy to work with him.
“They’ve got nothing other than a corrupt Attorney General, who ran on, ’I will get TRUMP,’ and a Trump Hating Radical Left Judge, who may be crazy,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media.
The ex-president’s lawyers do not expect to be successful when Judge Engoron makes his ruling.
Mr. Trump’s attorney, Chris Kise, told reporters at the courthouse they are confident Mr. Trump will be successful on appeal, according to ABC News.
Trump lawyer Alina Habba said the defense “did an amazing job in a court where we had, frankly, lost before we even got to give any bit of evidence.”
• This story is based in part on wire service reports.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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