‘They Were Running the Company’: Maggie Haberman Breaks Down Trump Brothers ‘Uncomfortable’ Fraud Trial Appearance

New York Times correspondent and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman broke down the testimony of former President Donald Trump’s adult sons for CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, dismissing their “uncomfortable” appearance as largely irrelevant.

Trump was absent from his trial in the fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron, who recently ruled that former First Daughter Ivanka Trump must testify in person. Ivanka’s big day was preceded by testimony from former co-First Sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., who took the stand this week.

On Thursday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins asked Haberman — as an analyst with deep knowledge and an extensive network of Trumpworld sources cultivated over several decades — about the brothers’ role in the company, which they are trying to downplay in court.

Haberman said, of the Trump offspring, “Basically, they were running the company” — especially Eric — and suggested their excuses wouldn’t have an effect on a case that’s already largely decided:

COLLINS: I’m joined now by Maggie Haberman, CNN Political Analyst, and Senior Political Correspondent, for The New York Times.

We’ll talk about the Ivanka development, in a moment.

But I mean, just that moment there, I was thinking about it, all day today, as I was seeing Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in court. I mean, that was almost seven years ago, which is kind of hard to believe.

MAGGIE HABERMAN: Yes.

COLLINS: And as they are on the stand, talking about their roles, can you just walk everyone through, what their roles? I mean, their whole career has kind of been defined by the Trump Organization.

HABERMAN: Yes. And before Trump had put them in charge, he was grooming his children, including Ivanka Trump, to take over this company. That had been going on for several years. They were trustees of the company. That was the official title. I think they had some kind of Vice Presidential title, as well prior to that, and I think after that. But basically, they were running the company.

I will say, in reality, according to everyone I have ever spoken with, Don Jr. was far less involved in the day-to-day, than his brother, Eric. Eric really became the person, who was running the company. And I think, Kaitlan, that was reflected in part, in how much more combative Eric Trump’s testimony was, in court, today. Don Jr.’s was relatively less so.

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, it got increasingly combative, over emails, even dating back to 2010, where he was saying, “I wasn’t involved in that.” And then she, the Attorney General, says that, essentially, that they provided these false valuations, of even the family’s estate. I mean, she noted at one point that Donald Trump Jr. had personally certified the financial statements.

But they were saying, “Well, I was just doing this. It was based on the valuations of others, not necessarily me.”

HABERMAN: Right. And there was an effort, to distance themselves, from things that they signed, or from decisions that were made. And we have seen that over and over.

And that’s also something we’ve seen Donald Trump do, about his own company, something we saw him do, in his presidency, “I was acting on advice of whomever.” I suspect you will see that in his upcoming trial on charges of trying to overturn the election results, in 2020, advice of counsel. It is often that someone else was making these decisions.

I don’t think for the purpose of the outcome of this trial, that any of this testimony matters, significantly, because the outcome is fairly predetermined.

COLLINS: Yes.

HABERMAN: Judge Engoron has already issued a partial summary judgment, suggests that Trump — Trump Sr. is going to face some problems, in trying to keep his company together.

But in terms of just having to lay out the guts of their company, I think that this was uncomfortable for both sons. They both had some stumbles. At the end of the day, I don’t think either one of either — neither one had an earth-shattering moment, on the stand.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.