Trump returns to NYC fraud trial as spectator, slams Judge Engoron and N.Y. AG James again [New York Daily News]

New York Daily News, The (NY)

Donald Trump was back at his Manhattan Supreme Court fraud trial Thursday to see his legal team wind down their defense case.

The former president told reporters he’d returned after a weeks-long hiatus for NYU accounting professor Eli Bartov’s testimony, lauding him as “one of the great experts in the country.”

Bartov was highly critical of the New York attorney general’s case early into his testimony, describing it as “absurd” as Trump sat back in his chair with his head cocked, listening intently.

“There is not a single reference to a single provision in [generally accepted accounting principals] that was violated … Definitely, there is no evidence here of concealment,” Bartov said, testifying that he saw Trump’s wildly inaccurate financial statements as errors, not fraud.

“There is no question that the value of President Trump is worth billions.”

Trump railed against state Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron and AG Tish James on his way into the courtroom just before 10 a.m., protesting his innocence and decrying the case as a “witch hunt.”

“We did nothing wrong. There were no victims. The bank loved us. The bank testified. They love us. We did absolutely nothing wrong. We never defaulted. We never had a default letter sent to us. The banks said we were perfect customers. The bank didn’t even know why they were here,” Trump said.

“He ruled against me before the case even started,” Trump added of the judge. “He knew nothing and he ruled against me.”

In September, Engoron found Trump and his crew liable for committing repeated and persistent fraud over several years. Based on undisputed evidence, the ruling determined they routinely exaggerated the value of his assets and thus his net worth by as high as $2.2 billion in deals with banks and lenders to enrich themselves illegally.

Engoron is expected to rule in writing on the AG’s remaining six claims — primarily relating to insurance fraud, falsifying records, and the conspiracies underlying various elements of the scheme — and how much Trump and his associates must pay back by January’s end. The AG is seeking to recover at least $300 million.

Outside the courtroom, Trump inaccurately claimed he’d won “90%” of the ongoing case on appeal. A mid-level appellate court dismissed his daughter Ivanka from the suit in June, finding claims against her were time-barred as she left the Trump Organization in 2017. Still, that decision did not impact Trump and his remaining codefendants — sons Eric and Don Jr. and former execs Allen Weisselberg and Jeff McConney.

Though Trump didn’t hold back in his criticisms of the judge — twirling his finger by his head to signify Engoron was crazy — he didn’t break the gag order barring him from commenting on the judge’s court staff.

Engoron issued the gag order on the second day of trial after learning of a disparaging and untrue Truth Social post targeting his chief law clerk, Allison Greenfield. He’s been fined $15,000 for violating it twice. The judge later expanded it to include Trump’s lawyers.

The judge and Greenfield have received hundreds of death threats and antisemitic hate mail since the trial started following Trump’s attacks, according to court officials.

Opposing Trump’s ongoing effort to appeal the gag order, an attorney for the state Office of Court Administration, David Nocenti, wrote the appeals court on Wednesday to say that Trump’s sharp tongue carried a severe risk of inciting violence, whether he intended it to or not.

“It is undisputed that Mr. Trump has an inordinate ability to draw attention, fervor, and animosity to those he singles out for attention,” Nocenti wrote.

“Whether he seeks it or not, some of Mr. Trump’s followers are willing to engage in violence to show their support.”

The Republican front-runner for president, facing 91 felonies in four criminal matters and a slew of lawsuits, is expected to return to the witness stand on Monday as the next and final defense witness. After the AG presents a brief rebuttal case, Engoron is expected to adjourn proceedings for about a month and will hear closing arguments on Jan. 11.

This story will be updated.