Trump claimed he was an expert on valuing assets, then tried to walk it back and blame his accountants immediately at the start of his fraud trial testimony.
NBC News’s Lisa Rubin tweeted:
Were you responsible for setting the value of your financial assets? “I think I was certainly more expert than anyone else, so if somebody would ask me or if I had an opinion, I would give it,” Trump said.
— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) November 6, 2023
But asked whether he gave them any specific instructions for providing that information, Trump says, “Not really.”
— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) November 6, 2023
Trump speaks in circles and contradictions, so he will follow the defense gameplan of blaming Weisselberg and the accountants until his ego gets in the way and he puts his foot in his mouth.
The former president is immediately demonstrating why no lawyer that has ever represented him wants to put Trump on the witness stand. His seeming personality disorder, along with the fact that he can’t miss a chance to inflate his ego while lying, makes him a dream for prosecutors.
Trump has gotten away with fraudulent behavior for decades because he never directly admits to anything and always has someone else around him to blame.
Donald Trump, his adult sons, and his business have already been found guilty of fraud. Trump is trying to save his business by avoiding the corporate death penalty in New York, but if Trump is the star witness for the defense, the defense is in big trouble.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
