Trump rips into ‘biased’ Judge Engoron and calls Letitia James ‘racist, evil and corrupt’ in rant as he prepares to testify TODAY in $250 million New York fraud trial

• Donald Trump will take the stand Monday in Manhattan court for the civil fraud case alleging he dramatically inflated value of his properties 
• Just before heading to court, Trump railed against Judge Arthur Engoron
• Testimony follows Trump’s two eldest sons already taking the stand last week and his daughter Ivanka is set to follow suit on Wednesday

Donald Trump is again going after Judge Arthur Engoron just hours before he’s set to take the stand before him in Manhattan court on Monday.

The ex-president wrote on Truth Social as he prepares to head to court to testify in the $250 million civil case alleging he fraudulently inflated the value of his business empire, which he is at risk of losing control over in the latest legal woe.

Trump said on his social media platform that the case is a way for President Joe Biden to ‘cheat’ in the 2024 presidential election – and took jabs at both the judge and New York Attorney General Letitia James for ‘election interference.’

The charges alleged Trump, who is leading the 2024 Republican primary field, dramatically inflated his net worth and the value of his properties.

But the appearance may also mark the beginning of what will likely be a defining feature of the 2024 election if Trump becomes his party’s nominee: a major candidate, on trial, using the witness stand as a campaign platform – or at least attempting to – as he eyes a return to the White House while facing multiple criminal indictments. 

Trump’s appearance on Monday comes after his two eldest sons also took the stand last week. Donald Trump Jr. testified last Wednesday and Eric Trump on Friday. Both are executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization.

Ivanka Trump, the ex-president’s eldest daughter, is slated to take the stand on Wednesday.

Donald Trump left Trump Tower in Manhattan Monday morning to head downtown to testify in the $250 million civil fraud case alleging he inflated his net worth and value of his properties 

The ex-president railed in a social media post Monday morning against Judge Arthur Engoron, whom he will come face-to-face with during testimony

Trump will come face-to-face with Judge Engoron on Monday after repeatedly lambasting him on Truth Social as a ‘wacko’ and a ‘Democratic operative.’ 

Also on his social media platform, Trump again claimed that Attorney General James is engaging in ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE!’ along with a video montage of her railing against the ex-president.

He insists that her actions against him are politically motivated because she doesn’t want him to be president again.

The Manhattan courtroom at 60 Centre Street has already become a familiar destination for Trump. He has spent hours over the last month voluntarily seated at the defense table, observing the proceedings.

Trump once took the stand – unexpectedly and briefly – after he was accused of violating a partial gag order. Trump denied violating the rules, but Judge Engoron disagreed and fined him anyway.

The vast majority of Trump’s speaking, however, has happened outside the courtroom, where he has taken full advantage of the bank of assembled media to voice his outrage and spin proceedings in ways most favorable to him.

Lawyers for AG James’ office are expected to primarily ask Trump on Monday about his level of involvement with financial statements and whether or not he directed those creating the statements to inflate his net worth.

He’s likely to face questions about how the reporting structure of the Trump Organization changed after he became president.

Like father, like son: Eric Trump (right) speaks with reporters while leaving the Manhattan courthouse on Friday, November 3 following his testimony in the fraud case. Former President Trump (left) also likes to do most of his talking outside the courtroom rather than inside

Trump will be joined in the courtroom on Monday by his former fixer and attorney-turned witness, Michal Cohen, who said in an interview he was planning to attend Monday’s proceedings.

‘My intent is to attend Donald’s appearance as he was gracious enough to attend my court appearances,’ he said.

Among the topics likely to be covered are Trump’s role in his company’s decision making, in its valuing of his properties, and in preparing his annual financial statements.

Trump is likely to be asked about loans and other deals that were made using the statements and what intent, if any, he had in portraying his wealth to banks and insurers the way the documents did.

The 2024 frontrunner is sure to be asked about how he views and values his brand – and the economic impact of his fame and time as president. He also may be asked to explain claims that his financial statements actually undervalued his wealth.

Trump has argued that disclaimers on his financial statements should have alerted people relying on the documents to do their own homework and verify the numbers themselves – an answer that he´s likely to repeat on the witness stand. Trump has said the disclaimer absolved him of wrongdoing.

Donald Trump Jr., the ex-president’s eldest son, took the stand last Wednesday, November 1

Eric Trump, the former president’s middle son, who testified in the case last week, said his father was eager for his appearance on the stand.

‘I know he’s very fired up to be here. And he thinks that this is one of the most incredible injustices that he’s ever seen. And it truly is,’ the younger Trump told reporters Friday, insisting his family was winning even though the judge has already ruled mostly against them.

Unlike most Americans, Trump has ample experience fielding questions from lawyers and has a long history of depositions and courtroom testimony that offer insight into how he might respond.

But Cohen, who worked for Trump for more than a decade, said nothing in Trump’s past has come close to what he’s facing now since they were largely civil matters ‘where even though the dollar amounts were in the millions of dollars, they were never of any real consequence to him or obviously to his freedom.’

‘Right now this New York attorney general case is a threat to the extinction of his eponymous company as well as his financial future,’ he said.

Trump’s forthcoming slew of criminal cases accusing him of misclassifying hush money payments, trying to overturn the result of the 2020 election and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club ‘have far more significant consequences, most specifically the termination of his freedom.’

Former President Trump, flanked by his defense attorneys, Alina Habba and Chris Kiss, waits for the continuation of his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court on October 25

Source: Read Full Article