Donald Trump has changed his mind. The former president had been expected to testify in his own defense in the civil trial regarding whether or not he committed fraud when discussing his wealth in an effort to receive bank loans.
“I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say,” the former president wrote in a Truth Social post.
NPR reports:
In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James said that regardless of whether Trump testifies again, “we have already proven that he committed years of financial fraud and unjustly enriched himself.”
Announcing his decision not to appear, Trump disparaged the New York attorney general and called the judge presiding over the case, Judge Arthur Engoron, “biased.”
Trump, who is currently the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, restated his false claims that the 2020 elections were stolen, specifically accusing President Biden’s campaign of “election interference,” and calling the case against him a witch hunt. In fact, Trump himself is separately facing federal charges of election interference.
The trial was originally set to resume on Monday, but the Office of Court Administration, the administrative branch of the New York State Unified Court System, announced over the weekend that the trial would restart this Tuesday.
“Trump had been scheduled to testify as one of the final defense witnesses in a trial that has lasted two months and is entering its final week of testimony,” according to NBC News.
“He had been expected to tout his company’s success and push back on New York Attorney General Letitia James’ claims that he vastly overvalued his properties and his net worth in financial statements that he used to get favorable loans from banks that he otherwise would not have been entitled to.”
Trump has been hindered from defending his companies in public because of a gag order instituted by the judge.
