This week, as the state neared the close of its initial presentation, Donald Trump Jr. was questioned on the stand in the fraud case brought against his family by New York’s Letitia James. The state’s Attorney General James alleges the Trumps benefited for years from deception in claims of value for various assets connected to them, alleged deception that one expert witness said allowed them to save $168 million on interest connected to just four properties.
On CNN, Elie Honig — a legal analyst and former federal prosecutor — argued that Trump Jr.’s testimony saw him not actually contesting the claims there was deception in those disputed statements of value, instead trying to just distance himself from the process. And in actually answering questions rather than invoking a Constitutional right against potential self-incrimination, Honig said that Trump Jr. was this week providing potential opportunities for prosecutors.
“Donald Trump Jr. would have had the option of taking the Fifth Amendment,” Honig remarked on air. “This is a civil case, but he still could say, ‘I refuse to testify because my testimony could be used against me.’ He’s decided not to do that, and so now as a result, everything that he’s testifying to is fair game for prosecutors to consider. Prosecutors have looked at this case. They have chosen not to charge it as a criminal case thus far, but that could change based on Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony, so there’s an inherent risk in taking the stand here.”
Trump Jr. was consistently dismissive, claiming for instance that he didn’t have a substantive connection to statements of financial condition that have become a major point of dispute in James’ case. He also claimed in other testimony that he lacked a basic understanding of key principles in accounting, passing off responsibility for certain questions to Trump-affiliated accountant Donald Bender — who’s also answered questions on the stand. Bender had earlier pointed to the Trumps, evidently looping in Donald Jr., as sources for information underlying alleged deception.
Check out Honig’s commentary below, as spotlighted by Raw Story:
