Donald Trump Jr. testifies in Trump Organization business fraud trial

Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Donald Trump, Jr. testified Wednesday in the New York civil business fraud trial of his father, Donald Trump, as the former president warned the judge to "leave my children alone."

While on the stand, Trump Jr. told Assistant New York Attorney General Colleen Faherty that he had no knowledge of and was not involved in the company's accounting practices because "I'm a real estate broker."

"I know nothing about GAAP," Trump Jr. said, referring to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. "I leave it to my CPAs."

Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric, are defendants in the fraud case along with the former president and the Trump Organization.

New York state Attorney General Letitia James alleges they used "numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation" to inflate Trump's net worth by more than $2 billion to win favorable loan terms.

Eric Trump is expected to testify Thursday. Ivanka Trump might testify Friday, though she has appealed an order to do so. Former President Trump is scheduled to testify Monday.

During Wednesday's testimony, Trump Jr. said he started working in the family real estate business "right after 9/11," as Faherty questioned him about Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who left the firm.

"The specific event was he was indicted," Trump Jr. said. "I have no knowledge of the specifics of how it happened. He is no longer working at the Trump Organization."

Trump, Jr. also said he had no recollection of Weisselberg's multimillion-dollar severance deal, testifying that Weisselberg joined the company in the 2010s and outranked him.

"Obviously, I would have reported to my father in that period of time. People like Allen Weisselberg would have still been senior to me," Trump Jr. said.

Trump Jr. said he was given more responsibility in 2016 after his father was elected president, adding that he, Weisselberg and brother Eric ran the Trump Organization.

"We stopped reporting to my father on decisions involving the business," Trump Jr. said.

On Wednesday, the former president -- who has denied any wrongdoing and claims inflated valuations are just business -- blasted Judge Arthur Engoron in a social media post. Trump argued that "this Fake Case should be dismissed."

"This Rigged Trial, brought by the Racist New York State A.G. Letitia James before Trump and developer Hating Judge, Arthur Engoron, should have never been brought," the former president wrote on Truth Social.

"There is no Victim (except me!). Leave my children alone, Engoron," Trump wrote. "You are a disgrace to the legal profession!"

Trump has violated the judge's imposed gag order -- which bars him from posting or talking about court staff -- twice since the trial began, with fines of $10,000 and $5,000 each. He has been barred from talking about the court staff.

While an appeals court has removed Ivanka Trump as a defendant, the judge Friday ordered her to testify in person because sufficient evidence was submitted to prove she has business interests in New York.

James also asserts that Trump Jr. was involved in the commercial leasing of 40 Wall St., a Trump asset Engoron ruled was overvalued by over $300 million.

Engoron ruled in September that the Trumps fraudulently inflated the values of their real estate assets for years as he granted partial summary judgment handing a victory to James.

The trial is addressing other elements of the civil case brought by James, including deciding how much the Trumps will have to pay for the fraud and what happens to the Trump business interests as a result of committing the fraud.

According to Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen's testimony, Trump, Jr. is at the top of the hierarchy in the Trump Organization and his signature has appeared on financial statements presented as evidence in the fraud trial.

He ran the former president's trust and certified the accuracy of financial statements between 2016 and 2021 -- statements that James proved to the judge were fraudulent.

The attorney general's lawsuit outlined how the Trumps fraudulently inflated and sometimes deflated the values of their assets for decades to reduce taxes and get better insurance coverage.

Weisselberg also is a defendant in the case. He was convicted, sentenced to five months in jail but served 100 days, a result of good behavior. He was ordered to pay $2 million in taxes and penalties for tax fraud in January.

Weisselberg testified in the current case that Trump Jr. and his siblings took on greater roles in the Trump Organization after their father became president.