The verdict in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial could be "devastating" to the former president, a former attorney has said.
Writing in the Los Angeles Times Harry Litman, who worked as a deputy assistant attorney general, said the Republican dug "a hole" during his testimony in the New York trial, leading to "a verdict that will be devastating to Trump and very possibly eviscerate what remains of his business empire."
The trial stems from a lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James filed in 2022, alleging that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization—including his adult sons—conspired to increase his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and secure loans.
In September, Judge Arthur Engoron issued a partial summary stating that the Trumps committed fraud. He ruled that Trump grossly inflated the value of his assets to obtain more favorable terms from lenders and insurers.
The trial will now determine how much damages the Trumps will pay, as well as resolve the other six claims alleged by James, who is seeking $250 million in damages and the revocation of Trump's business licenses. The former president, who testified this week, has denied any wrongdoing in the case.
Litman said the Republican treated his testimony like a political rally. He wrote:
"Trump turned his time on the stand into a tub-thumping recitation of the themes he hopes will carry him into a second term: that the deep state is persecuting him for his popularity and his election would constitute retribution for him and his supporters."
He added his testimony included "damaging admissions" that "scored many important legal points for James and none for Trump".
Donald Trump testified that the Trump Organization repaid the loans, meaning "there was no victim" in the case. But Litman said that defense was a "nonstarter" because false statements enabled the Republican to get better terms. The frontrunner in the Republican presidential race also said banks should not rely on company estimates. But Litman said that defense is "not relevant to the charge of knowingly submitting false valuations".
During the trial, Trump clashed with Engoron, who told the former president's lawyers to control him. Trump called the trial a "witch hunt" and said: "I'm sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me."
Litman called Trump's "attacks" on Engoron "puerile" and said as Engoron is deciding his face, they were "a kamikaze mission."
"I am not one of those who believe in Trump's secret strategic genius," Litman said, adding: "I don't see his unhinged fulminations as a calculated political masterstroke."
"We can count on him to continue to respond in ways that harm his legal prospects but delight his followers as he seeks to make a joke of the legal system," he said.
Newsweek contacted representatives for Trump by email to comment on this story.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jp2mp5mcmXq1vtSmp2abmau2rXnFq5iunF2pv6qty2ajnp%2BRoXq0wNGaq56fqWK1or7RsmSloaSirq95kHFra21naA%3D%3D