‘Are You Done?’ Attorney’s Question Rankles Eric Trump on Witness Stand
Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP
A question from a state attorney in the Trump Organization’s fraud trial prompted Eric Trump to throw his hands up in annoyance, according to reporters in the courtroom on Thursday.
The son of former President Donald Trump is an executive at the company, which is the defendant in a civil fraud case brought by the state of New York. In September, Judge Arthur Engoron issued a partial summary judgment in which he ruled the company defrauded lenders and insurance companies to obtain more favorable financial arrangements. He said that the Trumps vastly overstated the value of their assets.
Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages and the suspension of the Trumps’ ability to do business in the state. Engoron granted the latter request, but that ruling has been stayed pending appeal.
Eric Trump testified on Thursday after being called as a witness by the state. During one exchange with state attorney Andrew Amer, the witness appeared “outraged.”
“Eric Trump ventured a long explanation about why he did not agree with a complex point that Andrew Amer, the state lawyer, was trying to press,” the New York Times said. “When he stopped, Amer asked him, ‘Are you done?’ Trump briefly appeared outraged. ‘He meant that seriously,’ the judge explained. The lawyer said he had not wanted to interrupt Trump.”
The New York Post reported that Trump “threw his hands in the air, appearing dumbfounded.” It further stated that the judge told Trump that Amer did not intend his question as “a dig.”
In addition to Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., who is also an executive at the Trump Organization, testified. Former executive Ivanka Trump is also slated for the witness stand.
