In a day of courtroom drama, former president Donald Trump blasted a judge and a prosecutor while he was present for the start of a fraud trial that might imperil his commercial empire.
On Monday, Mr. Trump, who showed there willingly and was dressed in a blue suit, glanced forward as he passed the prosecutor who had initiated the case.
Letitia James, the state’s attorney general, who was seated in the front row, turned her head away.
For the remainder of the opening statements, during which both sides presented their cases, their paths did not meet.
In the civil trial in New York Superior Court, Mr. Trump, the Trump Organisation, a number of executives, and two of his children – Donald Jr. and Eric – are defendants.
Verifying Trump’s assertions regarding the New York fraud trial
They are charged with conspiracy, issuing false financial statements, falsifying business documents, and fraud.
The former president occasionally looked towards Judge Arthur Engoron as he addressed the court as the trial began.
Moments before, Mr. Trump had referred to the judge as a “rogue adjudicator” in a rant outside of court that reverberated across the room.
In his statements to reporters at the top of the courtroom stairs, Ms. James was not spared either.
It is a fraud and a farce. Just so you know, my financials are outstanding,” Mr. Trump continued. “The crime was against me; there was no crime.”
Considering the former president’s personal assaults, onlookers anticipated tension in the crowded courtroom. But there wasn’t much direct connection between the three main characters in the courtroom drama.
Mr. Trump primarily remained still while the prosecution presented its case, occasionally whispering to his defence team.
Ms. James continued to watch the attorney offer her team’s opening arguments along with a visual presentation.
Her team’s opening statement accused Mr. Trump and his co-defendants of deliberately and repeatedly committed fraud that netted Mr. Trump over $100 million (£83 million).
Judge Engoron found that Mr. Trump had overpriced his properties by hundreds of millions of dollars in order to obtain favourable bank loans last week and dismissed Mr. Trump’s defence of that charge.
Shortly after, Mr. Trump’s attorneys took the witness stand and refuted the points made by the New York attorney general. Alina Habba stated that Ms. James’ objective as attorney general was to “go to work, get Trump, and go home”.
She insisted that Mr. Trump did not inflate the worth of his possessions, including the Florida club he owns called Mar-a-Lago.
She claimed that real estate was pliable and that his properties were “Mona Lisas”; Mar-a-Lago, in particular, would fetch at least $1 billion on the open market.
But the atmosphere before lunch became more tense.
Chris Kise, the attorney for Mr. Trump, sparred with Judge Engoron over a variety of topics, including whether expert witness was required.
Judge Engoron was also enraged by Ms. Habba’s criticism of Ms. James. The court claimed that he had already rejected assertions that the lawsuit had political undertones.
With Donald Bender, a former Trump accountant, testifying as the first witness the attorney general’s office called, the courtroom atmosphere became more relaxed in the afternoon.
According to Mr. Bender, he worked on Donald Trump’s tax returns and finished the accounting for Mr. Trump’s company organisations.
He testified in a criminal trial in Manhattan last year against the Trump Organisation, alleging that the business tried to avoid paying taxes on bonuses and other opulent incentives.
BBC
