'Trump was trying to distract us' from newly dropped video evidence in fraud case: expert
Former President Donald Trump was doing everything in his power to "distract" from the release of damning new deposition footage in his civil fraud trial, argued former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti on MSNBC Friday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office released the footage, has alleged in the case that the former president and his two adult sons have systematically falsified property values of Trump Organization buildings and clubs, in order to get more favorable tax, loan, and insurance treatment. She is seeking hundreds of millions in fines and the dissolution of the Trump Organization in the state.
"Let's talk about the impact with the release of this videotape, considering the fact that the A.G.'s office already had the substantive testimony itself," said anchor Katie Phang, herself an attorney.
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"Yeah, look, it is very powerful to see him actually mouthing the words himself," said Mariotti. "That's why they tape those video depositions. I do the same thing when I depose people in my cases."
"Look, that's why I think Trump was trying to distract us so much this week," Mariotti added. "We had this powerful closing argument being offered by the A.G.'s office. Donald Trump was trying to get everyone to focus on his statements or attacking the judge, all the sideshow. But the reality is, the testimony is very powerful. What we just saw a moment ago, he's essentially saying, I prepared these statements, financial statements, for myself. Not just to admit them, to try to obtain loans, which is the obvious purpose of them."
Ultimately, he added, all of this is "Not credible testimony. And I think that's why the judge is writing an opinion that's going to be very disastrous for his companies."
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