Former President Donald Trump has made the decision to cancel his planned testimony on Monday in his New York civil fraud trial.
The lawyers for New York Attorney General Letitia James had previously summoned Trump to testify on November 6th. The Attorney General's office has accused Trump, his two sons, and their company of engaging in a fraudulent scheme over the course of a decade, in which they allegedly obtained favorable terms on loans and insurance, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in personal benefits. During his previous testimony, Trump had numerous clashes with Judge Arthur Engoron, often responding with lengthy and tangential monologues.
Trump was expected to be the final witness for his defense team. However, the state plans to bring forward two witnesses to counter the testimony provided by real estate and accounting experts called by Trump's defense.
In a statement, Trump's attorney, Christopher Kise, stated that the former president had "already provided testimony" and that there was "nothing more to say" to a judge who had imposed an "unconstitutional gag order" and appeared to have disregarded Trump's testimony, as well as the testimony of other individuals involved in the complex financial transactions at the center of the case.
Trump Returns to New York Courtroom
Although his last appearance on the stand was on Nov. 6, Trump returned to the New York courtroom on Dec. 7 as his defense team questioned what is expected to be their final expert witness.
After the final witnesses are called, the two sides will have more than three weeks to submit written filings to the judge, before meeting again for closing arguments on Jan. 11. Engoron has indicated his final ruling is likely to be issued weeks later.
