Ivanka Is Not Going to Save Trump in His New York Fraud Trial—and He’s Not Going to Save Himselffollowing in his footsteps. This week and last, three of the ex-president’s offspring are doing just that—following his footsteps into a Manhattan courtroom to testify as witnesses called by the State of New York in its civil fraud trial.slated to testify starting on Wednesday. This wasn’t, one imagines, the example the former president was hoping to set.
The state alleges Trump falsified his personal and business financial statements to grossly inflate his net worth by sums that may range into the billions of dollars. Allegedly, he did so to obtain favorable terms for loans and insurance coverage. Trump, Eric, Don Jr.
The judge then set a trial date to address the remaining causes of action for falsifying business records, filing false financial statements, and insurance fraud, to determine the amount of proceeds from the fraud and to assess other remedies. While the partial summary judgment decision was based largely on documents, the witness testimony is a critical part of the current trial, where a central question is that of the defendants’ intent. This is where Trump’s children come in.from the preparation of the financial statements, shifting blame to the accountants who prepared them for him to sign as trustee of his father’s revocable trust.
This means Trump will likely take the same strategy as his sons of refusing to reject the bad numbers and pointing a finger at the accountants and other professionals—which leaves Ivanka as Trump’s last hope. Unfortunately for him, she is unlikely to be his saving grace when she testifies Wednesday. Don’t get us wrong: No one should be expecting Ivanka to sell out her father completely and admit the fraud. But she is going to be put in a bind that even Houdini could not escape.