Mastodawn

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

Today at the #NewYork Supreme Court in Manhattan, it is an historic day. Donald #Trump is slated to #testify in the #NYAG’s case against him, the #TrumpOrganization, & its execs alleging he #defrauded #banks, #insurers & the #government for decades by lying about his #NetWorth.

The last time testified at a trial was in 2013 per @AP
#TrumpTrial #legal #law #civil #conspiracy #fraud
https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-york-fraud-lawsuit-business-empire-bd06bf8db3a14a9d2f10eb69b300c1d3

Trump's decades of testimony provide some clues about how he'll fight for his real estate empire

Donald Trump has testified in court as a football owner, casino builder and airline buyer. He once bragged in a legal deposition that he saved “millions of lives” by deterring nuclear war as president. Another time, he fretted about the dangers of thrown fruit. Come Monday, he's poised to reprise his role as a witness, this time as a former Republican president fighting to save the real estate empire that vaulted him to stardom and the White House. He's set to testify at his New York civil fraud trial, in a case that threatens to cost him control of marquee properties such as Trump Tower. Trump has been conditioned by decades of trials and legal disputes.

AP News

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

It’s believed the NYAG will conclude its presentation of the case this week, ending w/ #Ivanka Trump’s testimony slated for after her father’s.

She appealed the order compelling her testimony several times, & lost every time.

Justice #Engoron already found #Trump liable for “persistent & repeated” #fraud, in addition to #DonaldTrumpJr, #EricTrump, fmr #TrumpOrganization execs #AllenWeisselberg, #JeffMcConney, & several Trump business entities.

#TrumpTrial #law #civil #conspiracy #NYAG

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

The trial is deciding the remaining counts of #InsuranceFraud, #falsifying #business #records, issuing #false #financial statements & #conspiracy to commit all of the #fraud.

Justice #Engoron issued a limited #GagOrder after #Trump posted disparaging comments on social media about the judge’s #LawClerk.

Trump violated the order 2X (so far). Last Fri, the judge was forced to extend the gag order to Trump’s attys when they took over the abuse after trump’s had to stop.

#TrumpTrial #law #fraud

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump took the witness stand shortly after 10AM ET, Monday, November 6, 2023.

Atty #KevinWallace is questioning on direct for the #NYAG. The first topic is the #DonaldJTrumpRevocableTrust, which was used to hold Trump’s assets while he was in office.

Wallace is asking about 2021, & trustee changes that year. Wallace asks what was different that year.

Trump:

“Well other than you & every other Democrat [bringing investigations]”

(Oh-frickin-joy straight to the antagonizing)

#TrumpTrial #law

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

Asked why he reinstated himself as trustee BEFORE leaving the WH, #Trump said because he would go back to business & complained that "you" (#NYAG) & other "Democrat" prosecutors "were all coming after me from 15 different sides” said the cases are "not good… weaponization, they call it.”

Shown his stmnt of financial condition (#SFC) from June 30, 2011 — Trump pointed to a disclaimer, "We would call it a worthless statement clause… not really documents that the banks paid much attn to."

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

(FYI: #Engoron rejected #Trump's "worthless clause" defense in his pre-trial #ruling.)

Trump then started campaigning from the witness stand:
"As this crazy trial goes along" his attys will call bankers & "they will explain the process”

The judge interrupted Trump’s speech & instructed Trump to answer only the questions presented to him.

Trump then went off on Engoron & the statute of limitations:
"I'm sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me."

#TrumpTrial #law

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#NYAG asked about what role #Trump personally played in the preparation of his #financial statements.

Trump: “Me personally? It’s so long ago, this is well beyond the statute of limitations…. But [it’s] probably not because I’m sure the judge will rule against me, because he always rules against me.”

Trump insisted that his properties were “underestimated”

NYAG asked which assets Trump thought were undervalued in his SFCs.

Trump: ““Mar-a-Lago, 40 Wall Street, Doral…

.
#TrumpTrial #law

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump: “Mar-a-lago was very underestimated. I didn't do anything about it, I just left it be. I don't care.” (Yeah, right) "I'd say it's worth 50 to 100 times more than that. He thought it was worth 18M dollars which is absolutely crazy," he indicated Judge #Engoron.

(Engoron didn't; he cited an #appraisal of the property from 2011 in his ruling.)

Trump said if he wanted to "build up" his financial statements, he would have added his "brand value." (he did, named a ‘presidential premium’)

#Trump: “We didn't value the most valuable #asset in the statement, the brand value…. I became president because of my #brand, I sell books because of my brand.” (It certainly had nothing to do w/policy) “Even though these banks were paid back in full, there was no harm...there was no victim.” (Eh-hem, when you don’t pay taxes, you rip off the govt which then does not have that $ to fund various programs)

Engoron: “Mr. Wallace, did you ask for an essay on brand value?"

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump spouts his narrative of the #NYAG's case: “‘Trump had no money & he wrote up phony statements & he defrauded banks,’ even though they were represented by the best lawyers.”

Wallace: “I move to strike that answer.”

(Granted.)

Engoron: “Mr. Kise, can you control your client? this is not a #political #rally, this is a courtroom. I don't want editorializing, we’ll be here forever. We don't have time to waste. We have one day to do this.”

Kise: "You're in control of the courtroom, not me."

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump continued to boast about his finances: "It's a nice compilation of assets. It's a great statement. L.... It's a lot of cash. ..... The banks came to me. They wanted to make deals with me."

Judge: "Stricken! Stricken!"

Engoron “In addition to the answers being non-responsive, they're repetitive."

#NYAG: "If anything, you think the valuations that they used were too low, is that correct?"

Trump: “Absolutely”

NYAG Wallace asked about Trump's 2014 SFC which valued Niketown at $348M.

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump: "I'm between IBM & Tiffany."

Trump: "It's a holdup. It's not a nice word. It's a holdup site." If either Tiffany or IBM wanted to expand, they’d have to buy his bldg.

#NYAG: “The question was...”

Trump, spoke over the AG: “I bought the air rights over Tiffany so they can’t go up…”

#Engoron: “Excuse me”

Trump dismissively: “Hold on!” (& cont’d)

Engoron: “Mr. #Kise, can you control your witness? I am considering drawing a negative inference on any question he might be asked.”

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Kise urged the judge against that.

#NYAG asked about 40 Wall Street (Trump Tower) & its valuation at $550.1M on the 2014 SFC. #Trump gave a speech about the statute of limitations, possibly converting it to condominiums, & how developing condos for that property "was perfect."

Trump: "I got a lollipop in the lease. It's a legal term, believe it or not." (So now he knows the law? I thought he didn’t even know what a subpoena was)

#TrumpTrial #law

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Engoron: "I beseech you to control him, if you can,” he warned he will control #Trump if the lawyers don’t.

#Kise & #lHabba jumped up to defend Trump, calling his answers “responsive”.

Habba said Engoron's here to "hear what he has to say.”

Engoron: "I'm not here to hear what he has to say. HE’s here to ANSWER questions!"
He ordered them to sit down.
Kise said the judge should want to hear EVERYTHING Trump has to say.

Engoron: “No I do not want to hear ‘everything’ this witness has to say.”

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump: “This is a very unfair trial. Very, very unfair, & I hope the public is watching it."

Engoron didn’t take the bait.

#NYAG asked about the 2014 SFC that valued 40 Wall St at $550M which was signed by Trump. “Was the 550M asset price based on true & accurate information?”

Trump: “I suppose so. I accepted it. Other people did it, but I didn't say, ‘oh geez, it should be higher or lower.’”

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

Apparently it looked like #Trump was l going to start another tangent because, #NYAG said: “ I think we'll take our break now," & said he'd appreciate it if #Kise would talk w/his client.

At one point, #Engoron said he would excuse the witness if he didn't respond to the questions he was asked.

After the break:

NYAG asked Trump about valuations of his New York penthouse in 2014, which inaccurately tripled its size.

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump: “The number was too high. They lowered it after that. I thought it was too high. I don't know what's too high any more."
But then Trump claimed that it wasn't "too far off" when you add rooftop access.

"They took 10k feet per floor, & they went times three. But they didn't take out elevator shafts & different things."

NYAG then moved on to the 2014 evaluation of Trump's #SevenSprings estate.

Trump valued it at $291M. Trump says HE decided to drop the value: “I thought it was high."

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#NYAG: “Is the #SevenSprings [conservation] easement donation under review by the #IRS?"

#Trump: “Not that I know of. Again, I haven't spent a lot of time looking at these statements because their value (is low)”

Next topic, value of a joint venture w/real estate investment firm Vornado, involving one bldg in NYC & another in Cali.
Trump had a 30% stake, which he valued at >$800M.

Trump: “And excuse me [but] the buildings have been refinanced, 2 yrs ago”

NYAG: “There's no question pending”

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump brings up the 2021 valuation, but says he wasn't really involved bc he was very busy as president (um, no he wasn’t)
Trump: “My threshold was China, Russia & keeping outrcountry safe”

#NYAG: "And just to refresh your recollection, you were not president in 2021?"

Trump: No I wasn't," Trump says, over-pronouncing the words.

(Busted)
#TrumpTrial #Fraud

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#NYAG moved on to #MarALago 2014, & #Trump's #valuation of the club, which was valued at ~$2B for that year.

Trump: “I had no mortgage on Mar-a-Lago, there's no debt, zero.”

NYAG showed Trump the deed, which said Trump intended to "forever extinguish" the right to use Mar-a-Lago as anything other than a club. Trump however, valued it as if the land were unrestricted.

NYAG pointed to the language describing it as an “exclusive private club."

Asked if that was true, Trump said: "Yes."

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

The financial statements also notes that Mar-a-Lago is wholly owned by a LLC (shell).

#NYAG asked if Trump believes Mar-a-Lago is worth $1.5B

Trump: "I think between a billion & a billion-five."

NYAG's counsel asked Trump about the language in the deed that states that "the Club & Trump intend to forever extinguish their right to develop or use the Property for any purpose other than club use."

#TrumpTrial #law

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump: “When you say ‘intend’, ‘intend’ doesn't mean we'll do it. I intend, but we have a right to turn it back to a house."

#NYAG: “Switching it back would be contrary to ‘forever extinguishing’”

Trump: “Idon't think so. It says 'intends’. If someone wanted to change it later, …they would have the right to do it."

The NYAG showed docs Trump submitted to Palm Beach ofcls as part of his purchase of MAL, in the 90s.

In the doc, Trump says the place would be impractical as a sole owner-home.

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

Trump says something like, that was then this is now.

Trump: “There's a man building a house down the road, and spending $1 billion...$1 billion, and it ain't Mar-a-Lago” (?)

#NYAG showed an interview of him saying that
"the Mar-a-Lago Club is a great success. It will forever be a club!"

Trump claimed he said it as "bravado," not "legal intent."

Asked if he got tax benefits from it being a club, Trump answered yes.

#TrumpTrial #fraud

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#NYAG turned to Trump's golf course in #Scotland, Trump International Golf Links #Aberdeen.

The 2014 statement shows a $200M increase in value from the prior year, which it attributes to “development” of the property, which #Trump confirms wasn't done from 2013 to 2014.

Trump: “Aberdeen is a very rich place. It's an incredible piece of land, & it may be the greatest golf course ever built… Everybody said I couldn't get it zoned, & I did get it zoned for more than anyone thought was possible”

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump re #Aberdeen cont’d:

"Those homes will sell for a tremendous amount of money, they're on the North Sea,"

(FYI These are *potential* homes, recall #SevenSprings)

Trump: “It's...like a painting, you can pretty much do what you want to do, the land is there”

Trump says even if the financial statements were off, it wouldn't matter.
"I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements. So anything that would be a little bit off….

#TrumpTrial #law #fraud #NYAG

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

Justice #Engoron tells the #NYAG that he's following his lead, & if he wants to let the witness "ramble" on w/ "unresponsive" answers, he'll do that.

#Kise defends what he describes as Trump's "brilliant" response.

#Trump: “I have a lot of money, a lot more money than you thought."

Trump goes on to say that since his financial statements have disclaimer clauses, telling parties to do their own due diligence, there can be no #fraud. He’s totally off topic.

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump: “They always hold up in court, except maybe this court," Trump says. (this issue was decided BEFORE trial)

Trump goes on a tirade:
"That's why we shouldn't be having a case here”

#Engoron lets him go on.

Trump invokes legal scholars who he says agree with him.

"It's disgraceful," he says.

#Trump: “People don't know how good of a business I built because people like you (to the AG) go around demeaning me & try to hurt me."

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

#Trump: “he ruled against me before he knew anything about me, he ruled I was a fraud [knowing nothing] about me. He called me a fraud & he didn't know anything about me!" Trump’s voice rising.

"It's a terrible thing that you've done," Trump tells the judge.
"You believed that political hack back there,"
Trump says, pointing to NY AG Letitia James, who's sitting in the courtroom.

Given his repeated warnings earlier this morning, the judge has given remarkable latitude for all of this.

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

(sorry folks had to walk dog, go to grocery, stuff… I am back)

#Trump said that the #NYAG brought this case to try to become the governor & then AG.
(FYI: Trump lost political arguments long before trial.)

Trump cont’d on about the #disclaimer clause:
“I think it's fraudulent the decision. The fraud is on the court."

#Engoron: “If you want to learn about the disclaimer clause, read my opinion — for the first time.

(See attached)

Gatekeeper..Nov 6, 2023

@Nonilex
The big bad judge is hurting me...boo fn hoo

ex or current IDF unwelcome Nov 6, 2023

@Nonilex and then challenged the First Minister of Scotland who was pals with not to allow a wind farm which he said would spoil his view. Friendship phut!

Toots McGee Nov 6, 2023

@Nonilex he's treating the witness stand like a campaign rally

Jonathan Kamens 86 47 Nov 6, 2023

@Nonilex holy shit. Trump's lawyer said that and the judge didn't censure him? Astounding.

Nonilex Nov 6, 2023

@jik I think his threshold got way higher for this trial. (More Trump special treatment & he says he’s a victim 🙄)