Why Don Jr.’s testimony may have seriously damaged his father’s civil fraud defense

When Donald Trump Jr. testified in Justice Arthur Engoron's Manhattan courtroom on Monday, November 13, he vigorously defended his father and the Trump Organization — which are on trial for civil fraud.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James alleges that the Trump Organization deceived lenders by seriously exaggerating the value of its real estate holdings. Don Jr. made it clear that he believes James' case has no merit, although Engoron, in a late September ruling, agreed with James that the company misled lenders. The bench trial that Engoron is overseeing will determine the types of sanctions the Trump Organization will face.

In an article published on November 13, The New Republic's Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling emphasizes that Trump Jr.'s testimony may have damaged the defense that the Trump Organization's legal team is presenting.

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According to Houghtaling, "Donald Trump Jr. might have tripped up his legal team's entire defense on Monday, slipping into his testimony that the family's Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, is an 'estate' rather than a club…. But no amount of embellishment will hide Trump Jr.'s admission: The family's beloved Florida home at Mar-a-Lago — which, incidentally, Trump has used as his primary residence since leaving the White House in 2021 — is perceived by the family as an estate, or residential property."

Houghtaling continues, "The contested valuation of Mar-a-Lago is at the heart of the fraud trial against the Trump Organization. Last week, attorneys for the New York State Attorney General's office highlighted incongruous deeds and assessments for the former president's various international properties, including a development deed for Mar-a-Lago, which restricts the status of Trump's primary residence to a club. Despite the deed restrictions, the New York Attorney General's office argues, Trump overinflated the value of Mar-a-Lago on the basis that it was used as a private home and could be sold as such."

READ MORE: Don Jr. mocked for 'perjury' joke to judge during civil fraud trial: 'Wonder who wrote that for him'

Read Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling's full New Republic article at this link.