Former President Donald Trump is expected to attend the first day of the civil trial against him and his company, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources familiar with Trump’s plans. The trial is set to begin on Monday.
Trump’s intention to attend the trial was disclosed in a court filing related to another case – his lawsuit against his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. In the filing, the judge stated that Trump requested to postpone a scheduled deposition on October 3rd due to his plan to be present during the first week of the civil trial.
CBS News sources confirmed that Trump intends to be present for at least Monday’s proceedings.
The decision for Trump to attend the trial was made following a ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron, who will preside over the trial. The ruling found Trump and his company liable for fraud.
“Plaintiff represented that, now that pretrial rulings have been entered in the case that materially altered the landscape, it was imperative that he attend his New York trial in person—at least for each day of the first week of trial when many strategy judgments had to be made,” wrote the judge handling Cohen’s case.
During a campaign stop in California on Friday, Trump was asked if he planned to attend the trial on Monday. He replied, “I may, I may. What a disgrace. It’s a rigged — everything about this city is rigged. It’s all rigged now.”
In September 2022, Trump, two of his children, and his company were sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James for allegations of fraud, overvaluing properties, and misrepresenting Trump’s wealth on financial statements. Judge Engoron found that Trump overestimated the properties’ values by hundreds of millions of dollars and misrepresented his own worth by billions while seeking bank loans. The upcoming trial will focus on other allegations in the lawsuit, such as falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud, and conspiracy.
A spokesperson for the court, Lucian Chalfen, stated, “We are prepared for any eventuality. Court Officers have been on a heightened state of readiness and officers have been cautioned to remain alert and vigilant both inside the courthouse and while on perimeter patrols.”
Representatives for New York Attorney General Letitia James and Trump’s campaign declined to comment on the matter.
Zachary Hudak contributed to this report.
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