Donald Trump Jr. began testifying at the Trump fraud trial in New York. Here’s what to know.

Donald Trump Jr. was called to the stand in a New York courtroom Wednesday to testify in the civil fraud trial pitting his family and the Trump Organization against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

He became the first of four family members to face questions about their involvement in the family business in the coming days. Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump and their father Donald Trump are also expected to be sworn in to testify under oath. Trump Jr. is expected to return for further questioning on Thursday.

The Trump Organization, the former president and his two adult sons are accused of engaging in a fraud scheme that netted them hundreds of millions of dollars by falsely inflating property valuations, and Donald Trump’s wealth, in deals with banks and insurers. Ivanka Trump was named as a defendant when the state’s lawsuit was filed in September 2022, but a New York court later dismissed the claims against her for being outside the statute of limitations.

Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony

On the stand, Trump Jr. was mostly cordial when addressing the attorney general’s lawyer, replying with brief responses to questions about his work history, responsibilities and the family dynamic within the company.

He cracked a few jokes, at one point apologizing for the speed with which he talks: “I apologize, Your Honor, I moved to Florida, but I kept the New York pace.” He said his father was not involved with decision-making at the company during his presidency, but said that he has “made some decisions” since 2021, when he left the White House.

Trump Jr. established that he had a deep knowledge of company projects, saying he worked in “an all-encompassing developmental role” as executive vice president, and later managing the trust created for his father’s assets after the 2016 election. But he said he had little knowledge of a key moment in the company’s history.

Trump Jr. said he was aware that the company’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, left the company after nearly half a century because he was indicted for tax fraud in 2021, but said he knew little else about his exit.

Weisselberg, the elder Trump’s right hand man for finance matters dating back to the 1970s, testified earlier in the trial that he and the company agreed to a $2 million severance shortly before Weisselberg went to jail.

After Weisselberg’s indictment, Trump Jr. became the sole trustee of his father’s trust. During Wednesday’s proceedings, the attorney general’s lawyer displayed documents that showed him ceding control back to his father on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Trump left office. Trump left the post and reassigned it to Trump Jr. less than five months later, on June 7. No explanation for this change was given.

Later, Trump Jr. defended his involvement in producing so-called statements of financial condition, documents with allegedly inflated valuations that the state says were central to the fraud scheme.

Trump Jr. said he was aware that the company’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, left the company after nearly half a century because he was indicted for tax fraud in 2021, but said he knew little else about his exit.

Weisselberg, the elder Trump’s right hand man for finance matters dating back to the 1970s, testified earlier in the trial that he and the company agreed to a $2 million severance shortly before Weisselberg went to jail.

After Weisselberg’s indictment, Trump Jr. became the sole trustee of his father’s trust. During Wednesday’s proceedings, the attorney general’s lawyer displayed documents that showed him ceding control back to his father on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Trump left office. Trump left the post and reassigned it to Trump Jr. less than five months later, on June 7. No explanation for this change was given.

Later, Trump Jr. defended his involvement in producing so-called statements of financial condition, documents with allegedly inflated valuations that the state says were central to the fraud scheme.

SOURCE: CBS news