Ivanka Trump likely won't come to Donald's rescue in $250 million fraud lawsuit
Despite her best efforts to avoid a court appearance, Ivanka Trump is set to stroll into a New York courtroom on Wednesday and provide testimony in the $250 million fraud suit her father, former President Donald Trump, finds himself entangled in.
But what will she talk about, and what implications will her testimony have for the case? It's likely not about to be testimony that will help her father's cause, especially after comments she made about leaving the political sphere to focus on her family and three young children.
"I love my father very much," she said. "This time around I am choosing to prioritise my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena," she added.
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Donald was angry as he appeared in court on Monday to testify in the suit, which he has called a part of a 'witch hunt' (Getty Images)"I am grateful to have had the honour of serving the American people and I will always be proud of many of our Administration’s accomplishments." Donald, the Republican forerunner in the 2024 presidential election, stands accused of inflating his net worth by several billions of dollars, then misleading banks and insurance companies to secure higher-value loans and other fiscal assets.
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Three of his children — Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka herself — were named as defendants in the trial for their positions as high-ranking Trump Organization executives. Ivanka's charges were later dismissed, with the Appellate Division of New York's Supreme Court ruling in June that the claims against her were barred by the state's statute of limitations.
And while she was, in fact, eligible for trial based on alleged wrongdoings from after February 2016, she stepped down from the Trump Organization at the start of her father's presidency in early 2017, joining him in the White House. There was no misconduct outlined against her in that time period.
Donald and Ivanka were once very close, but she has said she's distancing herself from the political sphere, and that includes her father's political dealings (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)But Ivanka still has knowledge of much of the inner workings of the company, and questions about loans she helped her father acquire, including the nature of financial transactions and what type of documentation company officials used to help Donald obtain low-interest rates, will likely be fair game on Wednesday.
During her time at the Trump Organization, she was the head of development and in charge of loan acquisitions, which is what much of the trial is based on, stemming from charges related to the inflation of Donald's net worth. But even after stepping away from the Trump Organization in January 2017, Ivanka remained a key figure in many of the events brought up in the fraud case, and she still owns several properties in Manhattan.
Ivanka was instrumental in securing a lease and loan for a hotel in Washington, Trump's Doral golf course near Miami tied to the infamous Mar-a-Lago estate and a hotel and condo skyscraper in Chicago, court documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal. The organization has continued to purchase insurance for her, manage her household staff, pay her credit card bills and her apartment's rent and also her legal fees.
Donald's other children, Eric and Donald Jr, are also implicated in the case and testified last week (Getty Images)"Ms Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York," Judge Arthur Engoron said as he denied her appeals to avoid testifying. He sided with the prosecution's argument in the matter, highlighting those Manhattan apartments and her continued ties with several officials in the family business.
Yet Ivanka and her legal team, including her lawyer, Bennet Moskowitz, told Engoron on Friday that no state lawyers, such as those spearheading the case for New York Attorney General Letitia James, have jurisdiction over Ivanka, with Donald's own lawyer Christopher Kise stating that the prosecution "just want another free-for-all on another of President Trump's children."
Ivanka tried to evade testifying but to no avail, as the judge cited her connections to the Trump Organization despite her discontinued involvement (AFP via Getty Images)"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," Kise added.
Ivanka and her legal team have also argued that requiring her to testify in the case would hinder her ability to care for her minor-aged children, as she's being forced to attend court on a school day. Her lawyers said that Ivanka "will suffer undue hardship if a stay is denied and she is required to testify at trial in New York in the middle of a school week, in a case she has already been dismissed from, before her appeal is heard."
Donald has consistently called the trial a "witch hunt," one in a long string of trials against him by his Democrat opponents, including current President Joe Biden and both James and Engoron, who are affiliated with the party. Other trials he faces include four felony indictments. This trial, if he's convicted, could wrest several of his corporate holdings from him, which includes Trump Tower. He would also be barred from conducting business in New York.
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