Donald Trump turns up at New York fraud trial, complains it distracts
from campaign
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[October 18, 2023]
By Jack Queen
(Reuters) -Donald Trump made a voluntary appearance at his New York
civil fraud trial and used it to complain that it is distracting from
his campaign to reclaim the White House in 2024.
The former U.S. president and frontrunner for the Republican nomination
also took the occasion to criticize a limited gag order imposed by a
Washington judge in a separate criminal trial related to his attempts to
overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Trump appeared in a New York court on Tuesday for the third week of a
civil fraud trial which is centered on allegations that he inflated his
net worth to secure more favorable loan terms.
"I should be in Iowa now. I should be in New Hampshire now," Trump told
reporters outside the courtroom, referring to two important states early
in a U.S. presidential election campaign.
Trump, however, chose to be at the trial which he is not required to
attend. He has repeatedly used his legal woes as a campaign fundraising
tool.
Dressed in a dark blue suit and wearing a U.S. flag pin on his lapel,
Trump lashed out at the Biden administration and repeated his claim that
the case amounted to a political witchhunt.
Trump's legal troubles have resulted in a surge in money from small
donors, helping him roughly match the fundraising pace of Democratic
President Joe Biden who is seeking re-election, according to disclosures
released on Sunday.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/18/images/ads/current/lincolnprinters_lda_PPP_2023.png)
At the civil trial, Trump referred to an order on Monday that bars him
from verbally attacking U.S. prosecutors, court staff and potential
witnesses in a separate criminal case in which he is accused of trying
to overturn his 2020 election loss.
"My speech has been taken away from me. I'm a candidate that's running
for office, and I'm not allowed to speak. This is a railroading," Trump
said.
The order does not apply to the civil case, though Justice Arthur
Engoron in that case had earlier imposed a gag order on Trump after the
former president attacked a court clerk in a post on his Truth Social
platform. The gag order bars Trump from speaking publicly about court
staff.
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![](../images/101823PIX/news_z24.jpg)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Manhattan courthouse
trial in a civil fraud case in New York, U.S., October 17, 2023.
REUTERS/Bing Guan
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PROPERTY VALUATIONS
The lawsuit by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James
alleges Trump reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten
savings by overstating the value of his properties in documents he
provided to banks.
Donna Kidder, an accountant for the Trump Organization, resumed her
testimony Tuesday, describing the organization’s internal
bookkeeping practices and preparation of financial statements.
Kidder was followed on the witness stand by real estate appraiser
Doug Larson, who the attorney general's office said valued Trump's
40 Wall Street property at nearly $200 million less than what he
listed on financial documents.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended the valuations of his
properties, saying the case is a "fraud" and attacking both James
and the judge overseeing the case.
Trump told reporters outside the courtroom that the true values of
his assets including his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida
were “close to 100 times” what James’ office claimed.
Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, a star witness in the case, is
expected to testify next week.
Engoron found in September that Trump had engaged in fraud and
ordered the dissolution of companies that control crown jewels of
his real estate portfolio, including Trump Tower in Manhattan. That
ruling is on hold while Trump appeals.
The trial largely concerns damages. James is seeking at least $250
million in fines, a permanent ban against Trump and his sons Donald
Jr and Eric from running businesses in New York and a five-year
commercial real estate ban against Trump and the Trump Organization.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York;Editing by Noeleen Walder,
David Gregorio and Alistair Bell)
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