Trump continued to #attack#James, #Engoron & the trial itself in posts to his social media platform this morning.
He again suggested that the trial is an attempt to interfere w/ his presidential campaign & complained about the lack of a jury in the trial.
(It is long established that either are issues)
Trump won’t be in court today. He had no legal obligation to attend, & left yesterday, noticeably angry.
#Suarez also tried to insinuate that #Mazars tried to make #Bender the fall guy by sending him in to meet w/the DA w/only the counsel for Mazars. (Counsel for the company would owe duties to the co alone & is supposed to warn employees or fmr employees that in the event of a conflict, their duties are to the co.)
Bender was called by the defense in the #TrumpOrganization#tax#fraud#trial last year & spent 3 days on the stand as their lawyers suggested he failed to alert #Trump to the scam.
This will be my thread. 1/…🧵 I’ll do my best to share reports from multiple reporters, so, as always, I won’t be able to reply. Instead, I’ll “Like” your comments as acknowledgement. Yes, I see you 😊
Via Klasfeld:
Good morning from New York.
The mood is more relaxed in Manhattan Supreme Court today. The crowds have ebbed, now that the lead defendant is no longer in town for NYAG v. Trump.
I mean, I said this yesterday and I'll probably refrain from saying it ten thousand times more today:
#Suarez and #Trump seem to be hanging their entire defense on "We snuck all sorts of bogus, trash accounting past you and you didn't catch one bit of it. Why are you so incompetent?!?!?!"
As if there's no expectation or requirement that an accounting client not lie
Trump gripes trial is 'unfair' after judge's #GagOrder
(it was just in regards to the judge’s staff.)
After the trial wrapped up yesterday, Trump aired his #grievances in a post on his social media platform, saying the trial is “unfair” & again suggesting it was an attempt to interfere w/his presidential campaign.
After Bender testified a correction on the size of Trump's triplex #apartment was the work of the #TrumpOrganization & not him, Suarez suggested that Bender was lying when he said a now-deceased #accountant was his “relationship partner” at #Mazars for all Trump work.
A relationship ptnr, is who might have originated the biz relationship & might handle bills, but isn’t necessarily the lead handling the work.
#Suarez is now cross-examining #Bender about #accounting principles — deep accounting weediness that #Trump is nonetheless sitting through.
Trump's lawyers are trying to show — despite the #TrumpOrganization’s WRITTEN ASSERTION that it, not #Mazars, was responsible for the preparation of the #statements in #compliance w/standardized accounting practices — that Bender should have known & should have guided Trump better.
Judge #Engoron just reminded Trump’s attorney, “There’s no jury in here"
(IOW, stop #grandstanding)
#Trump visibly reacted, throwing his arms up in the air, in response, shaking his head “no” w/his arms crossed.
(so melodramatic)
#Suarez is now trying to establish that even under standardized #accounting practices, there is no 1 accepted way to estimate the current value of an asset.
Under questioning by #Suarez, #Bender said he "may" have consulted w/specialists on the estimated current value of some #Trump properties.
Suarez then played a bit from Bender's earlier #deposition, where he said he had not done so.
He then tried to get him to admit that discounted projections of cash flows from the use an asset can be used in estimating its current value, & pressed him on valuations of various Trump properties, including #TrumpTower & #MaraLago.
However, today, Wednesday, #Suarez got Bender to admit that he had access to bases for valuing the real #property#assets in the statements of #financial condition &
#Miami GOP Mayor Francis #Suarez has filed federal paperwork to join the crowded Republican field for president, becoming the third candidate from #Florida running for the GOP nomination. #2024election