MSNBC's Morning Joe explains how Trump's lying 'schtick' may have finally caught up with him

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said Donald Trump may finally pay a price for the braggadocious lying that's just become part of his personal brand.

New York attorney general Letitia James released new details about her office's fraud investigation of Trump and his children as she asked a court to force them to testify, and the "Morning Joe" host said he'd seen the former president engage in the behavior described in the court filing in person.

"This is no surprise at all," Scarborough said. "Anybody that's ever known Donald Trump or spent more than five minutes with him know [that] if you're out golfing with him, he'll give you a cup of water and say, 'See that cup of water? You know, my picture is on it. It's worth $10,000.' He exaggerates everything. He is constantly over-inflating the value of things, getting in fights with Forbes on how high he should be on the list."

"It's really actually just been a schtick, another thing Donald Trump does in the light of day," he added. "The question is now, will the attorney general or Manhattan DA be able to apply any charges, any penalties for Donald Trump, doing what he has been doing now for 50 years?"

READ: Trump rants and raves against New York attorney general as investigators burrow into his business

MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire agreed, saying he's seen Trump pull the same stunt many times.

"This is what he's always done," Lemire said. "Certainly, as a political candidate, you'd have a rally, and he'd say, 'Not only was there a crowd there, but there were 20,000 people outside.' The reporter would be outside and go, 'No, there isn't.' He exaggerates. Everything is the biggest, the best, the most expensive, and the most valuable. It is part of why his branding is so important. He tried to make this sell as a successful businessman, which was his original pitch in the 2015-2016 campaign, but this predates politics. That's what we're getting at here. One of the more noteworthy Trump exaggerations is Trump Tower on 5th Avenue where he lived a long time. He exaggerated the height by 10 stories. It's 58 stories, he said it was a 68-story building, just because."

That habit isn't necessarily illegal, but it can be.

"The attorney general notes, and switching to a more, perhaps, serious matter, that apartment, his triplex apartment penthouse in Trump Tower, he claims it is 30,000 square feet," Lemire said. "It's actually about 11,000 square feet. So he tripled, he exaggerated by a factor of three. Those things seemingly are harmless enough, except they're not in this case. When you inflate evaluations of property, of your businesses, whether it's for investors or tax purposes, that's a serious matter. It hasn't come to criminal charges just yet, but, certainly, that's why attorney general Letitia James is trying to use this moment to force testimony from not just the former president but two of his three adult children."

READ: Here's why a six-year-old interview could doom Trump in fraud case

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