Donald Trump wants to speak in court at the end of his civil fraud trial in Manhattan on Thursday, according to what people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.
Usually, it’s the lawyers who speak at the end of a trial, but Trump wants to say something himself. The judge, Arthur Engoron, said it’s okay for Trump to do this, even though it’s not common.
But Trump might change his mind and let his lawyers do the talking instead. Earlier in December, he was supposed to talk in court again, but he canceled because he felt he had already said everything he needed to.
ABC News was the first to report Trump’s plan to speak in court at the end of the trial.
The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, has accused Trump of saying he was richer than he really was on financial documents. She says he did this to get better deals on loans and insurance.
Donald Trump wants to speak in court at the end of his civil fraud trial in Manhattan on Thursday
James originally wanted $250 million from Trump, but now she’s asking for more than $370 million.
Trump has always said he didn’t do anything wrong. He’s criticized James and the judge many times, even getting angry when he testified in court in November.
Outside of court, Trump has called the case fake and said the trial was a joke.
The Attorney General’s office says Trump, his company, and some of his top employees lied to banks and insurance companies. They say Trump made his properties seem more valuable than they really were.
Trump’s team says he followed the rules and paid back the loans he got. They also say the financial documents he gave were just estimates and the banks should have checked them more carefully.
