Former President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was called as a witness on Wednesday to answer questions regarding fraudulent financial documents filed by the Trump Organization.
Ivanka Trump is not a defendant but is expected to be the final witness called by the legal team of the state attorney general in a civil fraud case, which will determine the penalties faced by various members of the Trump family.
She had served as the Executive Vice President of Development and Acquisitions at the Trump Organization. During questioning led by attorney Louis Solomon, she was asked about her knowledge of her father’s financial situation.
“It’s not that I have knowledge of it,” she said.
Ivanka Trump was asked about her involvement in the purchase of Trump National Doral property in Miami, Florida. The Attorney General’s case alleges that Donald Trump’s inflated statements were used to secure a $125 million loan from Deutsche Bank, which was regularly presented to the bank as part of Donald Trump’s financial reporting requirements.
Ivanka Trump testified that she does not recall whether the bank had requested statements from her or if she had provided them.
Former President Donald Trump is accused by the state attorney general, Letitia James, of being part of a scheme to inflate or deflate property values to secure better business, insurance, and banking deals between 2011 and 2021. Trump’s two adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are also defendants in the case. Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that Trump is liable for fraud.
Ivanka Trump’s lawyers successfully argued that any relevant actions by Ivanka within the Trump Organization occurred before the statute of limitations for the law had expired.
Outside the courtroom, James argued that Ivanka Trump personally benefited from inflated financial statements, even though she had distanced herself from the Trump Organization.
Donald Trump’s legal team is set to begin their defense next week, with the goal of completing it by mid-December.
Ivanka Trump is the last in her family to testify
At the beginning of this week, Judge Engoron heard the testimony of the former president himself.
Trump argued that he was responsible for providing information to the accounting firm Mazars, which compiled the statements. While answering questions, Trump took jabs at Engoron, James, and the trial. He made lengthy statements while answering questions, which irritated Engoron, referred to James as a “political hack,” and said he believed the case was improper.
Throughout his entire testimony, Trump argued that the financial statements were also his estimates of the values of his properties and that he relied on others to compile the statements. However, he acknowledged that he had a hand in reviewing some final numbers.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., both of whom are executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization and played key leadership roles when their father was president, are also defendants in the case.
