Ivanka Trump (42), the daughter of Donald Trump, takes the witness stand in the courtroom in New York today. She must testify in the fraud case against Trump, his family members and the family business The Trump Organization.
Her two older brothers were already featured last week, but now it’s Ivanka’s turn. The daughter of the former US president, unlike her father and brothers, is no longer a defendant in the case. Earlier this year, it was decided that she would only have to appear as a witness because she no longer held a leadership position within the Trump Organization during her father’s presidency. Ivanka had tried to have her summons for testimony quashed, but the court did not agree.
The lawsuit from New York State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, accuses Trump and his family businesses of manipulating real estate values to deceive lenders and insurers and boost Trump’s reputation as a successful businessman.
During her testimony, Ivanka was asked about her role within the company. She explained that she spent much of her time at the Trump Organization working on the development of the Old Post Office in Washington DC, which was converted into a hotel, and the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Florida. She was also asked about the way in which the loans for those projects were secured.
During her testimony, Ivanka appears calm and willing to cooperate. Although the judge has to ask her several times during the first ten minutes to answer louder and speak into the microphone.
As the interrogation progressed, she became increasingly evasive in her answers and frequently repeated the phrase “I don’t know anymore.” When asked about her father’s financial statements, the focus of the lawsuit, she says she was not involved in that aspect of the case. “I assume he had personal financial statements for accountants, but those were not statements that I was aware of,” she said. When asked if she had “any role” in preparing those overviews, she said: “Not that I know of.” “As I said, I was not involved in his review of the financial condition and I know nothing about the valuations that were taken into account.”
Father Trump had to testify at the beginning of this week and that led to a lot of annoyance among the judge. He really got on the judge’s nerves with lengthy, evasive answers. Trump, who is now also a presidential candidate in the United States, still insists that he has done nothing wrong and called it “sad” that his daughter has to testify in court.
(sgg)
Tags: Ivanka Trump testify fraud case involving family business dont anymore
