Trump Tells the Judge Overseeing His Civil Fraud Trial, “Leave My Children Alone”

Donald Trump is not in court to witness his sons testify in his lawsuit trial, but he did leave the judge with a lengthy and vitriolic assault on social media on Wednesday as a parting present. During a series of posts on Truth Social targeting the judge presiding over his bank fraud trial, Trump made the following statement: "There is no Victim (except me!). Leave my children alone, Engoron. You are a disgrace to the legal profession!" More importantly, he claimed there was sufficient proof to dismiss the charges.

As reported by The Hill, Trump wrote on his social media platform, "This Rigged Trial, brought by the Racist New York State A.G. Letitia James before Trump and developer Hating Judge, Arthur Engoron, which should have never been brought in that the so-called STAR WITNESS, SleazeBag Lawyer (for many people) Michael Cohen, admitted last week on the stand that he LIED. Therefore, on that fact alone, this Fake Case should be dismissed." The evidence scheduled to be given by Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump has nothing to do with New York State Judge Arthur Engoron. The New York Attorney General's office has subpoenaed them as co-defendants in the lawsuit. The former president said in his piece that, contrary to some of the evidence produced at trial, the reported worth of his enterprises was far lower than the real value. 

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the former president, testified about his family's business dealings in the fraud trial in New York on Wednesday. In the $250 million civil fraud complaint, Trump Jr. is the first member of the Trump family to testify. According to CNN, throughout his 90-minute testimony, Trump Jr. claimed that he had no hand in drafting the financial statements at issue in the case against his family's real estate firm. Trump Jr. also spoke about his obligations as a trustee of the former president's revocable trust and his work with the Trump Organization since 2001. Despite his father's frequent attacks on the judge via social media, the former president's son struck a lighthearted tone with the magistrate. On Thursday afternoon, he is due to testify more, which may involve discussing his involvement in the management of assets and licensing agreements. Ivanka Trump will testify first, followed by Eric Trump on Friday. On Monday, they will have their dad testify in court.

Since Judge Arthur Engoron has previously found that Trump and his corporation unlawfully inflated those asset valuations, the lawsuit centers mostly on damages. Letitia James is demanding sanctions of at least $250 million, including a prohibition on Trump and his two adult sons operating companies in New York and a five-year ban on Trump and the Trump Organization's involvement in commercial real estate. Engoron has ordered the dissolution of corporations that manage key components of his real estate holdings. That judgment is on hold while Trump appeals. The trial is just one of several legal challenges Trump faces as he seeks reelection. However, in the opinion surveys, he has a significant lead over the competition for the Republican nomination to run against incumbent Democrat Joe Biden in the general election scheduled for November 2024.