Ivanka Trump is testifying in the ongoing civil fraud trial of her father and his business in New York on Wednesday, becoming the fourth and final member of the Trump family to take the stand.
Former President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter is appearing two days after he testified for four tense hours, repeatedly lashing out at the judge overseeing the case and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Donald Trump and two of his sons are accused of a decade of fraud tied to false inflation of his net worth and the value of Trump Organization properties. Ivanka Trump was an executive at the Trump Organization until 2017, when she left to join her father in the White House. She was originally a defendant in the lawsuit, but a New York appellate court dismissed claims against her on June 27, ruling that they were barred by the state’s statute of limitations.
Ivanka Trump was originally set to testify on Nov. 3, but her testimony was pushed back while she fought the subpoena demanding her appearance.
Her two older brothers, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, both sought to blame accountants working for the Trump Organization for inaccuracies in so-called statements of financial condition — documents that were key to an alleged scheme to overstate their father’s wealth by billions in order to receive favorable rates on loans and insurance.
Trump himself gave different reasons for the inaccuracies while on the stand on Monday. He argued a disclaimer on the statements absolved himself and the company of responsibility for its accuracy. Trump claimed the statements actually under-valued his properties, an assertion that runs counter to a pretrial ruling by the judge, who said the statements over-valued Trump’s assets and found the defendants liable for fraud.
James’ office says the Trumps profited by at least $250 million through the fraud, and are asking the judge to award the state an equivalent amount. The judge will also rule on other allegations related to falsification of business records, conspiracy and insurance fraud. The defendants have denied all wrongdoing.
Ivanka Trump was expected to testify about the valuation of her New York City apartment, her father’s introduction to a personal wealth management team at Deutsche Bank, and two Trump Organization real estate deals that she led involving loans for a golf club in Miami and the Old Post Office in Washington, D.C.
The state is expected to rest its case after Ivanka Trump concludes her testimony on Thursday.
Lawyers for the Trumps will begin calling their own witnesses on Nov. 13. They expect to conclude their case by Dec. 15, they said in court on Monday.
