On the witness stand in the Trump civil fraud trial in New York, Eric Trump denied ignoring an appraisal of the Trump Organization's luxury Seven Springs property in Westchester County, ABC News reported on Thursday.
Eric Trump has long been characterized as being one of the principal executives involved in running the Trump Organization since his father stepped back to serve as president. The trial, brought by state AG Letitia James, centers on whether Trump and his two adult sons fraudulently misstated the value of their assets to get more favorable loans and other financial deals.
"State attorney Andrew Amer attempted to show Eric Trump multiple emails and calendar invites from 2014 and 2015 to demonstrate that he was personally involved in an appraisal by Cushman & Wakefield executive David McArdle that placed the total value of the property's undeveloped lots between $30 and $50 million," said the report. "Trump's 2014 financial statement, in contrast, valued the property at $291 million, including $161 for just seven of the undeveloped lots."
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
"Can we agree that Mr. McArdle's valuation in relation to the easement donation he was doing was disregarded?" asked Amer, to which Eric Trump replied, "No, the exercises are apples and oranges. Nothing to do with each other."
Earlier in the day, Eric Trump snapped at prosecutors as they attempted to go over his financial statements.
This comes after attorneys questioned Eric Trump's older brother, Donald Trump Jr., who alleged he was not involved with property valuations and left that primarily to accountants in his employ — even as he admitted he signed off on at least one of the fraudulent valuations.
The trial is primarily about determining how much the Trumps owe in damages, as Judge Arthur Engoron already ruled for James on the merits of fraud occuring; James is seeking $250 million in fines and the dissolution of the Trump Organization.
