CNN
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Former President Donald Trump said on his social media platforms Sunday that he no longer plans to testify at his civil fraud trial in New York on Monday.
After being questioned by the New York attorney general’s office last month, Trump was scheduled to appear in court again on Monday to testify in a bid to strengthen his defense against allegations of fraudulently inflating real estate values. But the former president wrote a lengthy message on Truth Social saying he “will not testify on Monday,” while continuing to attack the attorney general’s lawsuit against him and the judges overseeing it.
“President Trump has already testified,” Chris Kiss, Trump’s lawyer, said in a statement. “To a judge who has imposed an unconstitutional gag order and who has so far appeared to ignore President Trump’s testimony and the testimony of everyone else involved in the complex financial transactions at issue in this case. I have nothing more to say.”
Mr. Trump has already testified in court once, but his appearance Monday would have given him a chance to attack the attorney general’s case against him, speaking at length as his lawyers questioned him about his business and assets. Although the lawsuit does not include any criminal charges, the charges from the attorney general are personal to President Trump because they directly attack his brand.
Had he testified, Trump would have been operating under a gag order imposed by Judge Arthur Engoron that prohibits him from commenting on the judicial staff. The gag order, which Engoron has twice fined Trump for violating, was introduced after the former president attacked a judge’s clerk on social media.
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Haba, said Thursday that she recommended Trump not testify because of the gag order.
“Despite my advice to him never to take the stand under a gag order at this time, he still wants to take the stand. “I am firmly against it,” she said.
Trump’s lawyers appealed Engoron’s gag order, but the measure remains in place. Last week, Trump’s lawyers asked a judge to postpone testimony in the defense case until an appeals court decides on the gag order, but the judge refused.
When President Trump was questioned at the New York attorney general’s office last month, his combative testimony prompted a rebuke from Engoron’s government, which accused him of ignoring questions and instead attacking the attorney general, the judge and the case itself.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages and a ban on President Trump from doing business in the state. The attorney general’s complaint accuses Trump, his adult sons, and his company of fraudulently inflating the value of properties to obtain more favorable loans and insurance premiums.
Following President Trump’s sudden announcement on Sunday, a court clerk told CNN that Monday’s courtroom will be dark. The hearing will resume as scheduled on Tuesday, with accounting expert Eli Bartov, who Trump came to testify last week, to resume the final portion of his testimony.
The attorney general’s office will then have one day to respond. Both sides will then have until January 5 to submit their brief to Engoron. Closing arguments will be held on January 11th.
Mr. Trump has attended several trials, including an accounting expert testifying for the defense on Thursday.
Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential election, complained outside court that he was in New York without campaigning in one of the early battleground states, even though he appeared voluntarily. Ta.
“I should be in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina right now. I shouldn’t be sitting on the court,” Trump said.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Kara Scannell contributed to this report.
