new york –
Months before Donald Trump defiantly took the stand as a witness in his New York civil fraud trial, the former U.S. president faced the state attorney general prosecuting him during a deposition in his Manhattan office last year. did.
Video of a seven-hour closed-door meeting released Friday last April shows the Republican presidential front-runner’s demeanor go from calm and cool to exasperated, and at one point, Attorney General Letitia James At one point, he dismissed the lawsuit against him as “disgraceful” and “terrible.” thing. “
Trump, sitting with his arms crossed and looking incredulous, told his interrogating state attorney that he had spent decades building a successful real estate empire and was now being threatened with a lawsuit. complained that she was forced to “justify herself to you.”
Trump has been demonstrative from the start in claiming that James’ case is part of a politically motivated “witch hunt.” The video shows him grinning and pouting as the attorney general, a Democrat, introduces himself and says he is “committed to a fair and impartial legal process.” .
James’ office released the video Friday in response to a request from a news organization under New York’s Freedom of Information Act. Trump’s lawyers previously posted a transcript of Trump’s remarks in the court docket in August.
James’ lawsuit alleges that Trump, his companies and executives defrauded banks, insurance companies and others by inflating their assets in annual financial statements used to secure loans and make transactions. is being accused as such.
Judge Arthur Engoron, who will decide the case, said he hoped to make a decision by the end of January, as juries are not allowed in these types of cases.
Friday’s video will be a rare opportunity for the public to see Trump as a witness.
Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom when Trump testified on Nov. 6, and on Jan. 11, when Trump defied the judge and went on a six-minute rant after his lawyer spoke. Cameras were not allowed during closing arguments in the case.
Here are highlights of President Trump’s videotaped deposition:
“You don’t have a case.”
Trump says there is “no lawsuit” against James and her staff, saying the banks she claims were defrauded out of high valuations have not been harmed and were compensated for the transactions. “We have not received any complaints to date,” he claimed.
“Did you know the banks made a lot of money?” Trump asked, previewing later trial testimony. “I believe I never even received a notice of default, but all payments to the bank were made during the pandemic. And yet you are filing a lawsuit on behalf of the bank? . It’s crazy. This whole incident is insane.”
“Banks want to do business with me because I’m rich,” Trump told James. “But you know, they’re scared to do business because of you.”
President Trump complained that New York authorities were “spending their time investigating me instead of stopping violent crime on our streets.”
He said he would “put his recently jailed former finance director, Allen Weisselberg, through hell and back” for evading taxes on company-provided benefits.
In the case’s previous deposition in August 2022, President Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions more than 400 times. He said he did so because he believed his answers would be used as the basis for criminal charges.
don’t just take my word for it
President Trump says he has never felt his financial statements are “taken very seriously” and those who do business with him have been given sufficient warning not to rely on them. said.
President Trump called the statement a “pretty neat compilation of assets” rather than a true representation of its values. He noted that some numbers are “estimates.”
Trump insisted the statements were primarily for his own use, but acknowledged that financial institutions sometimes requested them. Still, he argued that because of the disclaimer, it doesn’t legally matter whether they’re accurate or not.
“There’s a ‘don’t believe the statement’ clause in there. Go out and do your job,” Trump testified. “Don’t believe anything we say.”
What’s your name? 10 billion USD
President Trump estimated that his “brand” alone is worth “probably US$10 billion.”
He called it “the most valuable asset I have” and attributed his political success to the widespread recognition of his name and persona.
“I became president because of the brand,” Trump said. “I became president. I think it’s the hottest brand in the world.”
“The most important job in the world”
After Trump was elected, he placed the Trump Organization, overseen by his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and longtime financial chief Weisselberg, in a trust.
Trump claimed he did not do this because it was necessary, but because he was a “legitimate president” and wanted to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
Additionally, President Trump said he was busy solving world problems, including preventing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un from launching a nuclear attack.
“I thought this was the most important job in the world, saving millions of lives,” Trump testified. “If I hadn’t made the deal with North Korea, I think there would have been a nuclear holocaust.” I think it might happen.”
obstructed view
In one of his most animated moments, Mr. Trump urged his interrogators to look out the window at the view of his office tower at 40 Wall Street. It is just across the street from Mr. James’s office, where he gave his testimony.
When asked how the building’s finances are doing, Trump gestured toward the building with his thumb and replied: Here it is. Do you want to see it? “
“I don’t think we’ll be allowed to open the windows,” Wallace said.
“Please open the curtains,” Trump suggested, shaking his head as he waited for someone to respond.
“No,” Wallace said.
“Open the curtains, please,” President Trump said. “Here I am. I was just looking out the window.”
“Can’t you open it?” defense attorney Clifford Robert asked after the blow.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Wallace said.
“Beautiful” and “Incredible”
Mr. Trump demonstrated his talent for using words at his finest, repeating the words “beautiful” and “incredible” 15 times each and “phenomenal” six times when describing himself.
President Trump called his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, “one of the most iconic places in the world” and described his renovated vacation home at the Doral Golf Resort near Miami as “one of the best I’ve ever seen.” “The most beautiful room in the world.”
President Trump described the 213-acre estate in Seven Springs, north of New York City, as “the greatest mansion in New York state.”
His golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland? “It’s just incredible.” Jupiter, Florida? “It’s a great facility.” Outside of Los Angeles? “An incredible property…an incredible property…a phenomenal property right on the ocean.”
“I don’t want to sell any of them,” Trump testified. “But if I sold them, if I put these things up for sale, the numbers would be amazing.”
He said he could get $1.5 billion for the Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and $2.5 billion for Doral.
President Trump has suggested he could make “a lot of money” from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League using the Turnberry course, once the venue for the British Open.
“There are people who would do anything to own Doral. There are people who would do anything to own Turnberry or Mar-a-Lago or … Trump Tower or 40 Wall Street.”
