Eric Trump has defended himself in court, stating that he relied on accountants and his legal team to ensure the accuracy of financial statements that authorities claim were used to fraudulently exaggerate his father’s wealth and assets. Trump insisted that he would never sign something that was inaccurate and that he obtained comfort from his legal team and accountants that the statements were correct. He also claimed that he received thousands of calls daily, including video calls, and that he did not remember a specific call about his father’s financial statement in 2021, despite being told that the James’ office was investigating the documents.
Trump’s defense is similar to that of his brother, Donald Trump Jr, who has sought to blame any irregularities in the financial statements on the Trump Organisation’s long-time external accountant, Donald Bender. The brothers have both maintained that they did nothing wrong and that the case is a “charade” and a waste of taxpayers’ money. The civil lawsuit alleges that Donald Trump, his company, and senior executives, including Eric and Donald Jr, conspired to exaggerate his wealth by billions of dollars on his financial statements, which were given to banks, insurers, and others to secure loans and make deals.
Eric Trump (Via Eric Trump/Twitter)
Despite the allegations, Eric Trump has maintained that he took an active interest in appraisals of some Trump-owned properties, including a golf course in Westchester County. The company’s appraiser, David McArdle, has stated that Eric Trump was involved in the appraisals and had “lofty ideas on value”, which assumed that the townhouses would easily sell for $1,000 per square foot. The townhouses were never built.
The Trump family and company have denied any wrongdoing, with the former president calling the case a “sham”, a “scam”, and a “continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time”. The civil lawsuit is separate from the four criminal cases Donald Trump is facing.
