Ivanka Trump ordered to testify against father, brothers and family business
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of former President Donald Trump, has been ordered to take the witness stand in the explosive civil fraud case against her father, as ruled by Judge Arthur Engoron on Friday.
The New York Attorney General Letitia James' trial targets former President Trump, his sons Don Jr. and Eric, the Trump Organization, and several executives, making headlines. Ivanka Trump, who had been dismissed from the case earlier, found herself back in the legal spotlight. Despite arguments from her lawyers and the defense claiming she shouldn't testify due to her move out of New York and departure from her Trump Organization role in 2017, the state's lawyers successfully contended that she possessed crucial information.
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Judge Engoron sided with the prosecution, emphasizing Ivanka's business ties in New York and her ownership of Manhattan apartments revealed in official documents. "Ms. Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York," Judge Engoron asserted.
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Ivanka, the daughter of Donald Trump will have to testify against her father and brothers (Getty Images)The court decided that her testimony would be scheduled after November 1, allowing her legal team time to file an appeal. The lawsuit, spearheaded by Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the former president of inflating his wealth over the years on financial statements provided to banks, insurers, and other institutions to secure loans and lucrative deals.
The defendants deny the allegations. Donald Trump, the current Republican 2024 presidential front-runner, has called the trial a politically motivated “sham." James is a Democrat. The ex-president and his sons are expected to testify at some point. In a surprise preview, the elder Trump ended up briefly on the witness stand Wednesday to answer Engoron's questions about an out-of-court comment.
Ivanka Trump's lawyer told the judge Friday that state lawyers had no legal basis to make her testify. “At the end of the day, your honor, they just don’t have jurisdiction over her,” said the attorney, Bennet Moskowitz.
A state appeals court in June tossed the claims against her as too old. Ivanka Trump announced in January 2017, ahead of her father's inauguration, that she was stepping away from her Trump Organization job. She soon became an unpaid senior adviser in the Trump White House. After her father's term ended, she moved to Florida.
“The idea that somehow Ms. Trump is under the control of the Trump Organization or any of the defendants, her father -- anyone who has raised a daughter past the age of 13 knows that they’re not under their control,” said Christopher Kise, a lawyer for the ex-president.
Kise maintained that state lawyers “just want another free-for-all on another of President Trump’s children.” State lawyers, however, argued that Ivanka Trump was a key participant in some events discussed in the case and remains financially and professionally intertwined with the family business and its leaders. “She is 100% someone who can come in and testify,” said Kevin Wallace, a lawyer for the attorney general's office.
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