Eric and Donald Trump Jr. testified — within an hour of each other — that they had nothing to do with their father's net worth statements
- Donald Trump's adult sons, Eric and Don Jr., both took the stand at his fraud trial on Thursday.
- The pair denied having anything to do with their father's net worth. statements.
Donald Trump's adult sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., took the stand at their father's fraud trial in Manhattan on Thursday and denied they had anything to do with the net worth statements that the NY Attorney General has based her $250 million fraud case on.
Don. Jr. was up first and said he was not involved with checking the accuracy of the statement of financial condition prepared by Trump's accountants, Mazars.
"Every decision I made was based on information I got from Mazars," Don Jr. said in court. "For purposes of accounting, I rely on accountants."
Prosecutors noted that he had signed off on documents, but again Donald Jr. testified he trusted the lawyers and accountants who prepped the papers.
And when Judge Engoron later asked Donald Jr. directly if he had "anything to do" with the statements of financial condition, he again denied it.
Less than an hour after prosecutors wrapped up the first son's testimony, Eric Trump took the stand and insisted he, too, had nothing to do with the documents.
But Eric — sporting slicked-back hair and a polka-dot blue tie like his brother — went even further, saying he didn't even recognize if one of the documents was a statement of financial condition. He testified he didn't know what it was and didn't want to "speculate."
Prosecutors have alleged that the former president repeatedly exaggerated the value of his Trump Organization assets to bankers and insurers as part of a fraud scheme.
But the Trump family has repeatedly dismissed the allegations and called the investigation a "witch hunt" brought by Trump's political enemies.
November 2, 2023: This story has been updated with additional context and clarifications about Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.'s statements in court.