2/ Klasfeld, cont’d:

Key piece of context:

Justice Engoron just noted in court that "nobody asked for" a jury trial, which is why he'll be presiding over Trump's $250M civil fraud case without one. #TrumpTrial #TrumpIndictment #NewYork

3/ Klasfeld:

NYAG's opening statement is about to begin.

Counsel Kevin Wallace takes to the podium.

Wallace trumpets the AG's recent win out the gate:

"At this point, the People have already proven that the statements of financial condition of Donald J. Trump" were false each year from 2011 to 2021.

4/ (I forgot this one, sorry):

Engoron notes that he had vowed to kick off trial today "come hell or high water," and quips that, "meteorologically speaking," we've had the "high water."

Any New Yorker gets the reference to our massive flooding on Friday.

5/ Via Rupar:

it doesn't look like he's having fun in court (Getty)

6/ Klasfeld:

NOW

The NYAG plays footage of Eric Trump's deposition in court, saying that he denied responsibility for the statements of financial condition.

7/ The NYAG then queues up footage of Donald Trump Jr.'s deposition in court, also denying responsibility for the statements of financial condition.

The Trump family's lawyer Clifford Robert objects to it being played.

Engoron denies.

NYAG plays Trump's deposition, also avoiding responsibility for the statements of financial condition (SFCs).

Q: "Was Allen Weisselberg responsible for that?"
Trump: "I would say yes."

8/ Sidebar. THIS.

Via Sherrilyn Ifill:

The judge should ask Trump to rise and repeat before him the words he uttered outside the courtroom. “I understand you have a concern about this court and about the prosecutor that you wish to share? Is it something you wish to tell me directly?”

9/ Via @emptywheel:

Nice that Trump has family in the court room today; he rarely has had family support as he faces accountability.

Mind you, it helps that the Sons are co-defendants.

10/ Oof.

Klasfeld:

NYAG plays a deposition of
Michael Cohen, testifying that Trump wanted to be higher on the Forbes list.

He says that Allen Weisselberg and Cohen were tasked with inflating the numbers for that purpose. and Michael Cohen
NYAG displays a slide of testimony by Patrick Birney, a Trump Org exec.

It's titled: "Donald 'Likes to See It Go Up,'" referring to his net worth.

11/ Wallace asks why Trump and his co-defendants sought in their SFCs "[b]eyond just a place on the Forbes billionaire's list."

He answers his own question: Trump used the SFCs to "secure favorable terms" on loans.

12/ Wallace targets Trump's lack of harm theory:

"These are not victimless crimes."

Trump forced the banks to take unnecessary risks based on false SFCs, the NYAG's lawyer says.

13/ 🙄

Defense opening statement begins.

Chris Kise hits the NYAG's "story."

"We think the evidence is going to establish a few things: First that President Trump has made billions of dollars" making one of the most successful brands in the world.

14/ Kise says that the loan transactions were "successful" and "profitable."

"The banks made well over a hundred million dollars," he says.

15/ Earlier, Kise slammed Michael Cohen as a "serial liar," noting his conviction for lying to Congress (for Trump) and arguing the government's conspiracy case rests on him.

Just earlier, NYAG's lawyer Kevin Wallace said that Cohen's account is backed by documents and witnesses.

Kise said that the individuals involved in the loan decisions will testify.

16/ We're back:

Alina Habba addresses the court, going after NYAG, whom she says set out to "go to work, get Trump and go home."

She also swiped at Cohen as a "liar."

17/ (All my reporting is coming via Klasfeld, btw, unless otherwise attributed)

Habba said that Justice Engoron found that Mar-a-Lago was worth $18M.

(Note: He didn't. He cited the appraiser's valuation from 2011, not its current value, and noted that the estimate rose incrementally for a decade.)

19/ Sidebar.

Via Rupar:

Trump's Truth Social feed today is a relentless attack on the officials involved in his fraud case

[I won't post the word-slaw here, but it's what you think]

20/ Lol, more like trying to understand them. He's an idiot.

Klasfeld:

During Alina Habba's address, Trump looks at her directly, paying close attention to her remarks.

21/ Justice Engoron responds to Habba's attack on NY State
AG, noting that he denied Trump's claims of political motivations.

At the time, Engoron said not investigating Trump would have been a "blatant dereliction of duty."

https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/451685_2020_the_people_of_the_stat_v_the_people_of_the_stat_decision_order_on_654.pdf

22/ Klasfeld:

The judge also noted that his rulings advancing the case to trial have been affirmed on appeal.

BTW, I'll be boosting @[email protected]'s additions to my thread. He's providing great info that aren't included in my stuff.

23/ Final defense opening statement comes from Clifford Robert, an attorney for Trump's family.

He says he'll be brief and that he echoes Chris Kise's opening remarks.

📌He said the judge will hear testimony by ex-President Trump, Eric Trump and Don Jr.

Robert describes Cohen as a "linchpin" of the state's case, joining onto the chorus of defense attacks on Trump's ex-fixer and key witness for the government.

24/ Via Acyn (I won't provide the video):

Trump continues to attack the judge and the AG before heading back to court

25/ Via Ron Filipkowski:

This is a judge who is going to decide how many millions you are going to have to pay. He just added a zero to the end of it.

Trump: This is a judge that should be disbarred. This is a judge that should be out of office. This is a judge that some people say could be charged criminally for what he's doing. He’s interfering with an election

26/ Via Jonah Bromwich NYT:

We’re back in the courtroom and Trump is back at the defense table. It remains to be seen whether lawyers for the attorney general will bring Justice Engoron's attention to the former president’s comments saying he should be disbarred.

27/ Now

Witness testimony in NYAG v. Trump will begin with testimony by Donald Bender, his ex-accountant at Mazars.