Trump appears in New York court for civil fraud trial; Cohen absent

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Former President Donald Trump returned to court Tuesday as his $250 million civil fraud trial enters its third week in Manhattan.

Trump characterized the trial as "rigged" when speaking to reporters before entering the courtroom Tuesday morning and leveled accusations of election interference against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The court was initially scheduled to hear testimony from Trump's former "fixer" and attorney, Michael Cohen, who is a pivotal witness in the trial. However, Cohen announced last week that he needed to attend to a pre-existing medical condition, delaying his appearance for a week or more.

The court is instead expected to hear statements from Donna Kidder, an accountant for the Trump Organization, and Doug Larson, a former executive at the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

The case alleges that Trump, along with his eldest sons and family business, artificially inflated their net worth by over $2 billion through the overvaluation of their real estate holdings. While they were previously found culpable of fraud in September, these fresh proceedings encompass various additional charges, including the falsification of business records and conspiracy.

The former president is not required to attend the trial, which is expected to continue through late December and last appeared in court on Oct. 4. He told reporters Tuesday that he would attend again on Wednesday.

Trump has been heavily criticized for comments made on social media during the trial, which led to a partial gag order from New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron earlier this month. The order bans any emails, posts or public remarks about the judge's staff.

On Monday, Trump a judge also placed Trump under a partial gag order in a separate case related to allegations of federal election fraud.