Donald Trump Jr. set to give second testimony in his father’s $250 million civil trial

Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to testify again on Monday in his father’s civil fraud trial, this time at the request of the defense to answer questions about the former U.S. president’s family real estate business.

Donald Trump, the leading candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is accused, along with his two adult sons and 10 of his companies, of inflating his net worth by up to $2.2 billion to secure better financing.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit seeks at least $250 million in damages and restrictions that would essentially prevent Trump and his adult sons from participating in New York’s real estate industry.

Donald Jr. has already been summoned as a witness by the attorney general’s office, along with his father and brother Eric Trump. His sister Ivanka Trump also testified but is not a defendant in the case.

Former President Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has accused James, an elected Democrat, and the judge overseeing the case of political bias and “election interference.”

In his defiant testimony last week, Trump Sr. acknowledged inaccuracies on his financial statements but stated that the discrepancies were not relevant to the banks that used them to determine loan pricing.

Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka Trump have stated that they were not involved in preparing their father’s financial statements and left the bookkeeping at the Trump Organization to accountants.

The case primarily revolves around damages, as Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that Trump Sr. and his company fraudulently inflated asset values. Engoron has also ordered the dissolution of companies that control significant parts of Trump’s real estate portfolio, including Trump Tower in Manhattan. However, this ruling is currently on hold pending appeal.

Despite facing legal challenges, Trump continues to lead the Republican rivals as he campaigns to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. He is also a defendant in four criminal trials, including two related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and has pleaded not guilty in all four cases.