'Pure fireworks': NY AG lines up ambitious witness roster for Trump trial

In addition to four criminal indictments, former President Donald Trump is battling his share of civil lawsuits. Journalist E. Jean Carroll has sued Trump twice for defamation, and Trump's business activities have been a high priority for New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

In an article published on September 15, the Daily Beast's Jose Pagliery reports that James is moving full speed ahead with her civil fraud case against Trump. And the Beast has obtained a copy of a list that shows the ambitious roster of witnesses she has in mind.

"The proposed 57-person list — buried in recent appellate court filings — shows the immense scope of the investigation that will be on display at the trial," Pagliery explains. "New York Attorney General Letitia James' office seeks to obliterate the real estate tycoon and former president's corporate empire, squeezing it dry of profits gained over years of what she has described as a pattern of 'persistent and repeated business fraud.'"

Pagliery continues, "If James succeeds, this will be the first time the former president is dragged onto the stand to testify under oath alongside his adult children, longtime business associates, and bankers who gladly extended him billions of dollars in credit in exchange for his farcical personal financial statements."

According to Pagliery, the witnesses that James has in mind include, among many others, Michael Cohen (Trump's former personal attorney and fixer), two of the president's children (Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump), Deutsche Bank's Rosemary Vrablic, and Peter Welch (a former Capitol One senior vice president).

"The sheer size of the list — which doesn't even include the witnesses Trump's lawyers plan to call — helps explain why the trial is scheduled to run for up to 56 days from early October until mid-December," Pagliery reports. "However, the start date of that trial is now in question. On Thursday, (September 14), lawyers for the Trumps made a longshot emergency request for an appellate judge to temporarily pause the trial — a last-minute gambit that actually worked."

Pagliery continues, "Both sides are now drafting legal arguments they'll submit to a five-judge panel, which could make a definitive decision in the coming weeks. Still, the trial is set to go forward on October 2 — or sometime thereafter. And it promises to be pure fireworks."