Ivanka Trump Testifies in Civil Fraud Trial Involving Trump Organization’s Financial Documents. Get Insights into the Legal Proceedings and Witness Testimonies.
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of former President Donald Trump, has been summoned to testify in a civil fraud trial concerning fraudulent financial documents submitted by the Trump Organization. Although she is not a defendant, her testimony is expected to be the final piece of the puzzle in a case that will determine the consequences faced by other members of the Trump family.
Ivanka, who held the position of executive vice president of development and acquisitions at the Trump Organization, faced questions from the state attorney general’s legal team, led by AG lawyer Louis Solomon. During the examination, she was asked about her knowledge of her father’s financial statements. Ivanka responded, “Not that I am aware of.”
The questioning delved into her involvement in the acquisition of the Trump National Doral property in Miami, Florida. The attorney general’s lawsuit alleges that inflated financial statements were utilized to secure a $125 million loan from Deutsche Bank and were regularly provided to fulfill Donald Trump’s financial reporting obligations as the loan guarantor. Ivanka Trump testified that she couldn’t recall whether the bank had requested these statements or if she had offered them.
The former president has been accused of participating in a scheme to manipulate asset values between 2011 and 2021 to secure better business, insurance, and banking deals. Donald Trump’s two elder sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Judge Arthur Engoron had previously ruled that Trump was liable for fraud.
Jesus Suarez, an attorney from the Trump legal team, cross-examined Ivanka Trump, making her the only Trump family member to face questions from the defense. Suarez inquired about her responsibility for submitting, preparing, reviewing, or approving financial statements, and her response was consistently negative.
Ivanka Trump’s attorney had earlier successfully argued that her actions at the Trump Organization occurred before the statute of limitations came into effect.
Outside the courtroom, Attorney General Letitia James contended that Ivanka Trump had personally benefited from the inflated financial statements, even though she had distanced herself from the Trump Organization.
Donald Trump’s defense is scheduled to commence next week with the aim of concluding by mid-December.
Ivanka Trump is the last member of her family to provide testimony. Earlier in the week, the court heard testimony from the former president himself. During his testimony, Trump asserted his responsibility for providing information to the accounting firm Mazars, which compiled the financial statements. He criticized various aspects of the trial and made statements that annoyed Judge Engoron.
Trump’s argument included his reliance on others for the accuracy of the statements, though he acknowledged reviewing some of the final figures. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., both executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization, also testified that they relied on others for vetting financial statements.
The trial previously heard from Jeffrey McConney and Allen Weisselberg, both of whom testified regarding their roles in the matter.
