Why are Trump’s children testifying at New York civil fraud trial?

The main focus on Donald Trump’s myriad of legal woes shifted to Lower Manhattan in October as his civil fraud case came to trial at the state’s Supreme Court.

New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the case against the Trump Organization regarding the business’s statements to obtain better terms on loans and insurance from financial institutions.

The case focuses on the years between 2011 and 2021 and involves falsified financial statements regarding the development of several real estate projects and inflating Mr Trump’s net worth in order to get better financing terms from banks and insurance companies.

This was done by over-stating valuations of the former president’s most prestigious holdings including his triplex penthouse at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and his current home at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Their entire New York real estate empire is already in peril after a pre-trial ruling included the cancellation of their business licences in the state.

As the prosecution’s case draws to a close, three of his adult children are taking the stand to testify under oath.

So how are three of his adult children wrapped up in all this and why are they testifying at the trial?

The answer is that Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump all worked for the family business at the centre of the case.

All three of them were originally named as co-defendants alongside their father, former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and former controller Jeff McConney.

Donald Jr began his testimony on 1 November with Eric then taking the stand on 2 November.

Both acted on their father’s behalf while he was president, running the company alongside Weisselberg.

They had also been closely involved in project developments prior to that.

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled before the trial started that fraud had occurred and so, as signatories to the underlying fraudulent documents, Donald Jr and Eric’s testimony is key to understanding the workings of the company — though they have both failed to recall details on the stand during testimony.

Meanwhile, their sister Ivanka succeeded in removing herself from the list of defendants earlier this year.

An appeals court dismissed her as a defendant in the lawsuit in June, saying the claims against her were too old.

The former president’s oldest daughter had announced back in January 2017, ahead of her father’s inauguration, that she was stepping away from her job as an executive vice president at the Trump Organization to become an unpaid senior adviser inside his White House.

After her father’s term ended, she moved to Florida and has since distanced herself from the family business as well as her father’s political ambitions.

Nevertheless, she has also been compelled to testify after the state’s lawyers argued that she was a key participant in some events discussed in the case – and to this day remains financially and professionally intertwined with the family business and its leaders.

Judge Engoron agreed, citing documents showing that Ivanka continued to have ties to some businesses in New York and still owns Manhattan apartments.

During her years at the Trump Organization, Ivanka was involved in negotiating and securing financing for various properties, including a lease and loan for the former Trump International Hotel in Washington DC, and loans for Trump’s Doral golf resort near Miami and the Trump International Hotel and Condominiums in Chicago, according to court filings.

According to the New York Attorney General’s office, Ivanka retained a financial interest in the Trump Organization’s operations even after leaving for the White House, including through an interest in the now-sold Washington hotel.

Ivanka is again appealing the ruling but is currently scheduled to take the stand on 8 November, two days after her father’s testimony on 6 November.

It is expected that the prosecution will rest following her testimony. The defence team will then lay out its case.

In addition to the pre-trial ruling, there are six other charges for Judge Engoron to rule on, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy. In addition to losing business licences, there could also be a fine of $250m.

The trial is expected to run until the week before Christmas.

With reporting from the Associated Press.