Trump gripes trial is 'unfair' after judge's #GagOrder
(it was just in regards to the judge’s staff.)
After the trial wrapped up yesterday, Trump aired his #grievances in a post on his social media platform, saying the trial is “unfair” & again suggesting it was an attempt to interfere w/his presidential campaign.
Speaking outside the courtroom before the trial started, #Trump again decried it as a #political hit job against him as he repeated his ongoing #attacks against #James.
“This trial is a disgrace,” he said. “Never happened -- nothing like this has never happened before.”
(That’s because we never had a person become president that broke so many laws before, during & after being in office.)
Attys for the AG said in court yesterday they might seek additional questioning of Bender when Trump's team is done.
After Bender finishes, the AG's office is expected to call #CamronHarris, who works for #WhitleyPenn, the #accounting firm that succeeded Bender's firm.
After Bender testified a correction on the size of Trump's triplex #apartment was the work of the #TrumpOrganization & not him, Suarez suggested that Bender was lying when he said a now-deceased #accountant was his “relationship partner” at #Mazars for all Trump work.
A relationship ptnr, is who might have originated the biz relationship & might handle bills, but isn’t necessarily the lead handling the work.
#Suarez is now cross-examining #Bender about #accounting principles — deep accounting weediness that #Trump is nonetheless sitting through.
Trump's lawyers are trying to show — despite the #TrumpOrganization’s WRITTEN ASSERTION that it, not #Mazars, was responsible for the preparation of the #statements in #compliance w/standardized accounting practices — that Bender should have known & should have guided Trump better.
Judge #Engoron just reminded Trump’s attorney, “There’s no jury in here"
(IOW, stop #grandstanding)
#Trump visibly reacted, throwing his arms up in the air, in response, shaking his head “no” w/his arms crossed.
(so melodramatic)
#Suarez is now trying to establish that even under standardized #accounting practices, there is no 1 accepted way to estimate the current value of an asset.
However, today, Wednesday, #Suarez got Bender to admit that he had access to bases for valuing the real #property#assets in the statements of #financial condition &
As the #trial against Trump was being heard in court this morning, Trump's attys filed a notice of #appeal of the judge's #SummaryJudgment ruling that Trump had committed persistent #fraud.
The notice of appeal said they were appealing "from each & every part" of the order that went against them.
Last week, #Engoron denied Trump's motion to have the claims against him thrown out on statute of limitations, & Engoron issued partial #SummaryJudgment on some of the AG's allegations, including that #Trump & the #TrumpOrganization had made "persistent" false claims overstating the #value of their #assets in their #financial statements.
“The government brought a case accusing my client of a staggering #fraud,” specific to year, "but now when it’s time for us to defend ourselves,” Engoron will not let them examine him on a year by year basis, #Kise said, adding that he will attempt to streamline the case, but the devil’s in the details.
“This is ridiculous!” #Engoron yelled, then lowered his voice, before saying, “there’s no point” in asking #Bender year by year.
As the AG did w/ #Bender, they are reviewing specific language from #WhitleyPenn’s written description of the process. He says they went through the 2020 statement of #financial condition to understand how to obtain info & their process.
#CameronHarris discussed Whitley Penn’s internal “program” for compiling statements of financial condition, which appears to be a guide to how to handle compilations.
The internal program for compilation does “not verify any of the accuracy of the information provided,” which distinguishes a compilation from a review or an audit. It does not include, for example, analytics or inquiries of management, much less verification of work papers.
#EricTrump came up for the first time in testimony. #CameronHarris said that Eric was a member of executive leadership who set “the tone at the top” & that he had no interactions w/Eric re: the statements of financial condition. Their first meeting took place after the 2021 statement was issued.
Eric Trump is in the front row shaking his head suggesting he doesn’t agree with Harris' descriptions of his role.
After defense highlighted Bender's inconsistent statements about Mazars' use of specialists to evaluate assets, #Bender seemed to struggle to articulate how Mazars provided #accounting expertise.
Defense atty #JesusSuarez told Justice #Engoron he planned to continue cross-examining #Bender through Thurs afternoon, but promised to "streamline" questions after the judge criticized the timing.
#JeffMcConney, a top #TrumpOrganization exec, is expected as the next witness, & he’ll be ready tomorrow in case cross-examination of Bender concludes earlier than expected.
#Trump continued his attacks against #James hours before he returned to court for the 2nd day of arguments in the #civil#fraud#trial that the #NewYork AG brought against him & his company.
In 2 posts on his social platform this morning, Trump used derogatory terms to #attack James while denying any wrongdoing against allegations that he #inflated his #assets.
#Engoron knocked down Trump’s claim yesterday that he’d reversed his earlier ruling & tossed 80% of the AG's case. The #judge explained that’s not what he did, but that he knows Trump’s side disagrees vigorously & is appealing.
The AG's office is trying to show a #pattern of behavior through documents bolstering #Bender's claim, indicating he & the accounting company he worked for relied on docs that Trump & his company provided them.
That included entering into #evidence a letter that #AllenWeisselberg, then the #TrumpOrganization's CFO, sent #Bender, which read, "We are #responsible for the preparation & fair presentation of the statement on financial condition in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States."
The trial is scheduled to last until the end of Dec but is expected to end sooner.
Trump arrived in the courtroom & strode past AG #LetitiaJames, seated in the first row, w/o making eye contact & immediately took a seat at the defense table.
While pool photographers took his picture at the defense table, looking solemn, in camera-ready way, Judge #Engoron looked amused.
#Bender’s #testimony will take us in-depth into the #financial statements year over year. He will likely take up much of the rest of the afternoon. #Trump has settled in at the defense table to await his fmr accountant’s testimony.
#Bender worked for #Mazars USA, the accounting firm that was at the center of a #SCOTUS#subpoena battle over #Trump’s #business & personal #tax returns which were obtained in 2021 by the #Manhattan DA for a separate #criminal investigation into the ex-president’s business operations.
While he was not technically in-house at the #TrumpOrganization, he did so much accounting work for the company & for its execs (including their personal tax returns) that he was in the #Trump Tower offices often.