Former President Donald Trump now says he will not testify at his civil fraud trial in New York on Monday, calling the entire trial “complete and total election interference.”
Trump posted the announcement that there would be no follow-up to his November 6 testimony on his Truth Social Media platform in all caps.
“As everyone knows, I testified very successfully and persuasively in this corrupt, Biden-led, rigged New York State Attorney General's trial against me,” he wrote.
“World-renowned experts, highly respected banking and insurance executives, real estate professionals and others who are both honest and credible have stated clearly and unequivocally that I and my highly successful company have done nothing wrong!”
He claims his finance students were “extraordinary” and cited an NYU professor who allegedly gave him an “A” grade for them.
Former President Donald Trump now says he will not testify at his civil fraud trial in New York on Monday, calling the entire trial “complete and total election interference.”
He also criticized James as “racist” and its employees as “thugs” and Judge Arthur Engoron as “highly partisan and out of control.”
He continued with a repeated complaint that the court has said his Mar-a-Lago resort is worth only $18 million, when in his opinion it is worth “50 to 100 times that amount.”
Trump also contrasted expert testimony between his team's NYU professor Eli Bartov and the state with the help of ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
“Our untouchable expert witness has been so strong and irrefutable in his testimony, which will conclude on Tuesday, that I have already testified to everything and have nothing to say other than this is complete and total election interference (Biden campaign! ) witch hunt, which will do nothing but keep companies out of New York, I will not testify on Monday. MAGA!'
He called Cohen a “sleazebag and disbarred former lawyer” who repeatedly lied under oath in an “irredeemable Perry Mason moment.”
“That alone puts an end to this Biden-driven witch hunt,” he concluded. 'Election interference!'
Trump, his company and top executives are alleged to have exaggerated his wealth by billions of dollars on the financial statements by inflating real estate values.
Before the trial, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and other defendants committed fraud by overstating his net worth and the value of his assets in his financial statements.
The judge imposed a sentence that could deprive Trump of some major assets, although an appeals court is keeping it under his control for now.
Trump left Trump Tower on Thursday morning, after skipping Wednesday night's prime-time presidential debate in Alabama, and headed to the courthouse, where he delivered another speech about the case against him.
He was accompanied by longtime aide and former White House official Margo Martin, who held up her cell phone outside his motorcade.
Trump, who is once again subject to a judge's silence order, fired off an attack on New York AG Letitia James, calling Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the trial, “crooked.”
Former President Donald Trump returned to a Manhattan court where his fraud trial is underway
The 'gag', upheld by an appeals court, bans him from attacking judicial staff such as Engoron's clerk, after Trump repeatedly accused her of controlling the judge and posted a link to her Instagram page.
“Heading to a witch hunt with a crooked judge and a bat… CRAZY (and racist!), AG,” Trump wrote. “This case was decided against me before it even started. WE WON AT THE APPELLATE DIVISION, BUT THE VERY POLITICAL AND ILLEGAL JUDGE ENGORON REFUSED TO OBSERVE THEIR ORDER!' Trump posted this on his Truth Social site.
Trump last appeared at his trial a month ago. Since then, key witnesses from the Trump Organization have appeared in a trial in which prosecutors accuse Trump and his company of inflating real estate valuations to secure loans and avoid taxes.
His comments that led to the gag order spilled into the courthouse, where media members and camera crews lined up to capture his comments when he appears.
Trump blasted the judge and prosecutors during remarks Thursday as he reviewed the trial as his defense team wrapped up
Trump skipped Wednesday's presidential debate. He attacked Judge Arthur Engoron from the courthouse
No exception: Trump repeatedly spoke from the courthouse
Trump aide Margo Martin accompanied him to court
Trump attacked AG Letitia James again on Thursday, calling her “crazy” and “crazy” in court
Trump was accompanied by lawyers Alina Habba (r), Chris Kise (l) and Clifford Robert (not pictured)
Trump condemned the judge and the AG on Thursday, but did not single out his staffers as he has done in the past
Trump called State AG a 'crazy' and 'bat crazy'
'We have done nothing wrong. There were no casualties. The bank loved us,” Trump said Thursday, calling James “crazy” and “a lunatic” as he blamed her for violent crimes in New York, with his lawyer Alina Habba standing behind him.
He watched again as photographers and videographers captured a brief moment in the courtroom.
Trump called the case a “witch hunt” and called it a “highly corrupt process.” Engoron has already held him liable for fraud in the civil case.
Trump's lawyers are preparing to call Eli Bartov, an accounting professor at New York University, as a witness to speak about real estate valuations and financial statements key to the case.
James tweeted Thursday: “Donald Trump has committed financial fraud for years and enriched himself and his family. We have already proven the enormity of his fraud. No matter how much he lies, the facts are not.'