Former President Donald Trump is returning Monday to testify at his New York civil fraud trial, this time under questioning from his own attorneys in an effort to bolster his defense against allegations he fraudulently inflated the value of his properties.
Trump has already testified once in the trial, repeatedly barreling past questions from the New York attorney general’s office to instead attack the judge overseeing his case and the attorney general’s $250 million lawsuit against him
The questions are likely to be friendlier Monday to the former president from his own attorneys – at least until he faces cross-examination from the attorney general’s office – but that doesn’t mean the bitter tensions bubbling throughout the 10-week trial case will melt away.
Trump’s testimony comes as he has relentlessly attacked the civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is seeking $250 million in damages and to bar the former president from doing business in the state.
Trump has also attacked the judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, and Engoron’s principal law clerk leading to a gag order barring talk about the clerk. The former president’s lawyers are appealing the order.
While Trump is not facing criminal charges in this case, the allegations against his business are personal for the former president, and he’s spent several days attending the trial outside of his testimony.
The civil trial is a preview of what could play out next year as Trump runs for president at the same time one or more of his four criminal trials are ongoing.
Here’s what to watch in Monday’s testimony:
Trial and campaign trail converge
Trump attended the civil trial Thursday to hear the testimony of New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, an expert witness for his defense.
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