President Trump just delivered a statement outside the doors of a New York courtroom.
After spending his morning at the bogus New York trial filed against him, instead of campaigning for 2024, Trump asked, “What are we doing here? This is a political witch hunt. This is meant to influence an election. This also comes from the White House. This is not just a state matter because the White House is controlling district attorneys.”
His words were a reaction to testimony given this morning by expert witness and accounting professor at New York University Eli Bartov, who reviewed Trump’s finances and testified under oath that he found, “no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud.”
Watch here:
JUST IN—President Trump issues a statement as he exits the courtroom in New York:
"Absolutely no accounting fraud of any kind…This is a political witch hunt, this is meant to influence an election. This also comes from the White House." pic.twitter.com/TCa1A6tajZ
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 7, 2023
On Monday, Trump will take the stand again in the civil trial. Fox News on MSN has more details:
Former President Trump called the non-jury New York civil trial against him and his business a “weaponization of justice,” and again bashed the proceedings and lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James as “election interference.”
Trump appeared in court Thursday, days before he is expected to take the stand in the trial for a second time on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENTTrump reacted to Thursday morning testimony from a defense expert witness, New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, who reviewed the Trump financial statements at issue in the case and said he found no evidence of accounting fraud.
Bartov, testified that Trump’s financial statements didn’t violate accounting principles, and he suggested that anything problematic — like a huge year-to-year leap in the estimated value of the his Trump Tower penthouse — was simply an error.
“My main finding is that there is no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud,” Bartov testified. Trump’s financial statements, he said, “were not materially misstated.”
Trump, reacting to that testimony during a court break, said Bartov is a “highly respected man.”
“I don’t know him, but he’s a expert witness. And he found no fraud whatsoever. He found no accounting fraud whatsoever,” Trump said. “And like everyone else, he said, what are we doing here? What are we doing here? This is a political witch hunt. This is meant to influence an election. This also comes from the White House. This is not just a state matter because the White House is controlling district attorneys.”
Trump added: “This case should be over. This case should never have been brought.”
The former president, again, characterized the case as a “weaponization of justice.
“This is something that nobody’s ever seen to this extent is called election interference,” Trump said. “It’s a sad day for our country that if things like this can take place.”
The San Diego Union Tribune on MSN adds:
Former President Donald Trump returned to his civil fraud trial Thursday to spotlight his defense, renewing his complaints that the case is baseless and heaping praise on an accounting professor’s testimony that backed him up.
ADVERTISEMENTWith testimony winding down after more than two months, the Republican 2024 presidential front-runner showed up to watch New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov. Hired by Trump’s defense lawyers, Bartov disputed the crux of New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit: that Trump’s financial statements were filled with fraudulently inflated values for such signature assets as his Trump Tower penthouse and his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
“My main finding is that there is no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud,” Bartov testified. Trump’s financial statements, he said, “were not materially misstated.”
He suggested that anything problematic — like a huge year-to-year leap in the estimated value of the Trump Tower triplex — was simply an error.
Even while campaigning to reclaim the presidency and fighting four criminal cases, Trump is devoting a lot of attention to the New York trial. He’s been a frustrated onlooker, a confrontational witness and a heated commentator outside the courtroom door.
Earlier in the trial, Trump attended several days and spent one on the witness stand while the state was presenting its case. But Thursday marked his first appearance since the defense has been calling its own witnesses. He’s due to testify again Monday.
He watched attentively Thursday, at one point shaking his head when lawyers for James’ office objected to some of Bartov’s testimony. During breaks, he lauded Bartov’s testimony and assailed the lawsuit, which is putting his net worth on trial and threatens to disrupt the real estate empire that vaulted him to fame and the White House.
“This whole case is a fraud,” Trump declared. “This is a political witch hunt. This is meant to influence an election.”
Here’s another video shared on Twitter of President Trump from earlier at the trial this morning:
President Trump is back in NYC court today.
Pray for this man. pic.twitter.com/AlP0fqAryK
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) December 7, 2023
Do you agree with President Trump that the New York trial is nothing more than an effort to keep him out of the running in 2024?
Every day Trump has to spend in a court to fight these BS charges is a day he can't campaign or spend time speaking to the issues in America.
This election is being rigged by the courts. pic.twitter.com/iScfYF4QzW
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) December 7, 2023
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