By The opinion
17 Oct 2023, 11:16 PM EDT
Former President Donald Trump made a new appearance in the $250 million civil fraud trial against him and the Trump Organization, even though Michael Cohen, the star witness he planned to observe, did not testify.
The court was scheduled Tuesday to hear testimony from Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who is a key witness in the trial. But Cohen announced last week that he needed to address a pre-existing medical condition, delaying his appearance by a week or more.
Speaking to reporters before entering the Manhattan courtroom, Trump criticized the trial as “rigged” and accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of election interference while complaining that he should be “somewhere else.” place campaigning.”
Trump is not required to attend the process. He later told reporters that he also plans to return on Wednesday.
The civil suit in New York, brought by Letitia James, accuses Trump of having grossly exaggerated his net worth in the financial statements of banks and insurance companies.
Trump said Tuesday that James and her office are “frauds” and again complained that she cited the assessment of the Palm Beach County, Florida, tax assessor. about the value of his Mar-a-Lago club of between $18 and $27 million from 2011 to 2021 as evidence of fraud.
Trump’s financial statements valued the property at between $400 million and $600 million.
The trial is expected to continue until the end of December and Trump had to appear in court for the last time on October 4.
Trump has been heavily criticized for comments made on social media during the trial, leading to a partial gag order from New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron earlier this month. The order prohibits any emails, posts or public comments about the judge’s staff.
On Monday, a judge also imposed a partial gag order on Trump in a separate case involving allegations of federal election fraud.
Keep reading:
– Trump’s former financial chief lost his memory in the New York fraud trial
– Appeals court rejected Trump’s request to stop the fraud trial
– NY Attorney General: Trump exaggerated his net worth by billions between 2011 and 2021