Eric Trump testifies at Trump civil trial

Eric Trump, 39, took the stand Wednesday in the $250 million New York civil lawsuit over claims that the Trump Organization overvalued assets, misrepresented the company’s finances and deceived banks, per CBS. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed the civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization in September 2022.

As executive vice president of the Trump Organization, Eric Trump oversees the company’s global real estate empire, according to company’s website. James accused Eric Trump of knowingly participating in a scheme to overvalue the company’s properties.

New York state attorney Andrew Amer focused his questions on whether Eric Trump was aware of Donald Trump’s statement of financial condition, ABC reported.

“This is not something I ever recall seeing or working on,” Eric Trump said. “This is accounting, and that is not what I do on a daily basis.”

Amer drew attention to the alleged value inflation of the Seven Springs mansion in Bedford, New York. In 2012 and 2013, the Trump Organization reported the property’s value as $291 million. Forbes reported that in 2021 the value was decreased to $37.65 million.

Eric Trump told Amer, “I don’t think I ever saw or worked on the statement of financial condition,” per Financial Times. Later he said, “I think I was 26 years old at the time. I don’t recall what I knew at the time.”

Last year, Trump company executive Jeff McConney, who was granted immunity, testified that he prepared misleading tax returns. He took the stand last month to explain how valuations of properties were made, according to The Associated Press.

McConney testified that he inflated the Seven Springs development “after a phone conversation with Eric Trump,” according to Business Insider. Eric Trump’s attorney said his phone conversations with McConney were not correlated with Seven Springs’ value inflation.

Amer provided a document showing Eric Trump as a source for Donald Trump’s valuation of the Seven Springs mansion, but Eric denied any knowledge.

Eric Trump’s testimony coincided with his older brother’s testimony on Wednesday. Donald Trump Jr. testified that he had no involvement in the compilation of the Trump Organization’s statements of financial condition.

State attorney Colleen Faherty asked Donald Trump Jr., “Did you work on the statement of financial condition for June 30, 2017?”

Trump Jr., said, “I did not. The accountants worked on it. That’s what we paid them to do,” per ABC.

While being deposed, Eric Trump referred to the company’s June 2017 statement of financial condition. He said, “I had no involvement in this. I don’t think I had ever seen it. I have no recollection of ever providing Jeff (McConney) material to be used in a statement that I’ve never seen.”

In front of the courthouse in Manhattan, Eric Trump referenced Trump Organization accountants. He told Fox News reporters, “You pay experts millions of dollars to be experts. You sign off on what they give you, and you’re liable.”

Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka are scheduled to testify on Monday.