AG James' prosecutors got Trump to agree to a key fact in fraud case: legal experts
The Donald didn't deny it.
Grilled on the stand by New York Attorney General's prosecutors, Donald Trump appeared to concur that the price tags on his real estate portfolio submitted by his company were meant to "induce" loans from lenders, according to a report.
A prosecutor pointed Trump to a Deutsche Bank term agreement in the 2010s and verified that he had signed.
Then the 45th president asked if the efforts to submit values of businesses and the properties in the Trump Organization were "in order to induce lending" wrote Matt Russell of Inner City Press.
"You see that?" the prosecutor asked Trump.
"Yes," Trump reportedly answered.
And then, according to Russell's reporting, he asked if he believed it was "true and accurate," and Trump reportedly said, "Yeah, I do."
MSNBC's Katie Phang called this moment in the testimony a potentially sea-changing moment.
“In order to induce lending,” she tweeted. "A CRITICAL admission by Trump as he admits that the INTENT in making these financial representations was to convince lenders to loan money."
Former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann also chimed in on Trump's subtle revelation that appears to have remained under the radar amid the tempestuous exchanges during Monday's questioning in his $250 million fraudulent civil trial.
Weissmann tweeted in all caps: BREAKING: AG GETS TRUMP TO AGREE THAT THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND TRUMP'S PERSONAL GUARANTY WERE TO INDUCE BANKS TO LEND MONEY. KEY FACT FOR THIS FRAUD CASE.
Last month, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered that some of Trump's business licenses should be pulled as a reprimand for duping banks, insurers and others by artificially inflating their assets and swelling his net worth to gain attractive loans, deals, and tax benefits.
Trump appeared to take issue with the decision itself and demanded the case be tossed because his financial statements had included a disclaimer.
"If you want to learn about the disclaimer clause, read my opinion — for the first time," Judge Engoron said.
Trump then called out the judge for blundering the decision.
"I think it's fraudulent the decision," he's said. "The fraud is on the Court."
"It’s political warfare, as you would call it, or political lawfare," he said in a courtroom hallway. "I got a lot of names for it."