In an unexpected about-face, Donald Trump has announced that he will no longer be testifying in his civil fraud trial on Monday. The former president, who was questioned on the stand by New York prosecutors earlier in the trial, had been set to take the stand Monday as part of his defense.
In a two-part, all-caps screed posted to Truth Social, Trump wrote that âwill not be testifying on Monday. MAGA!â
âAs everyone knows, I have very successfully & conclusively testified in the corrupt, Biden-directed, New York State Attorney Generalâs rigged trial against me,â he fumed, adding later that he had ânothing more to say other than that this is a complete & total election interference (Biden campaign!) witch hunt.â
A source close to the matter told The Daily Beast that Trumpâs lawyers simultaneously notified the court and New York Attorney General Letitia Jamesâ office that he would not be testifying on Monday.
The trialâs start in early October was followed by weeks of Trump relentlessly attacking the $250 million case brought against him by Jamesâ office and the judge overseeing it. On Nov. 6, the former president testified for more than three hours. No less hostile on the stand, he criticized the proceedings and jabbed at his enemies, drawing sharp rebukes from Judge Arthur Engoron, who earlier fined Trump $15,000 for twice violating a gag order prohibiting him from speaking publicly about the judgeâs staff.
âThis is not a political rally,â an exasperated Engoron told Trump at one point.
Two people familiar with Trumpâs thinking told The New York Times on Sunday that his team believes any further testimony would do more harm than good.
James filed her suit against Trump last year, accusing him and his allies of intentionally inflating the value of his assets to secure better financial terms. In addition to the $250 million her office is seeking, James has asked that the court bar Trump from ever operating a business in New York again. Trump has denied all wrongdoing in the matter, and repeatedly lashed out at James as a âpolitical hackâ working to push President Joe Bidenâs agenda.
With Trumpâs reversal on Sunday, proceedings will likely wrap up quickly. His attorneys were expected to rest their case after questioning him, though he would have faced cross-examination by Jamesâ office. State lawyers are set to call a number of witnesses for rebuttal testimony, after which the trial will break until January.
