The forthcoming testimony of Donald Trump's oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, could pose a "real potential danger" to the former president in his New York civil fraud trial, according to former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner on Friday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump and his family, including sons Donald Jr. and Eric, for $250 million, accusing them of frequently inflating Trump's own net worth and the value of his assets by billions of dollars from 2011 to 2021 to secure better deals and loans. Trump and his family have dismissed the accusations and maintained their innocence, accusing prosecutors of being politically motivated and attempting to harm Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
New York Judge Arthur Engoron ruled last month that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses, and executives committed fraud. Moving forward, the court will rule on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims. Engoron himself will rule on the charges, as Trump's legal team did not opt for a jury trial. The result could see Trump lose some of his famous properties and be barred from doing business in New York.
Ivanka Trump was previously a co-defendant, but was later dismissed after a judge ruled that she was not sufficiently connected with The Trump Organization at certain points key to James' suit. She also fought to prevent herself from being called as a witness, but on October 27, Engoron issued a ruling compelling her to do so, at the request of James. Ivanka is expected to take the witness stand on Monday, while her brothers testified this past week.
Appearing on MSNBC's The ReidOut on Friday, Kirschner, a long-time federal prosecutor turned legal analyst known for his critical views of Trump, laid out his beliefs about why Ivanka Trump's testimony could be so dangerous to her father.
"I think Ivanka is a real potential danger," Kirschner said. "Because, one: she's tried so desperately not to testify, that seems to be something of a red flag. But even more importantly, think back to the January 6 public hearings. When she testified, we saw the video of her behind-closed-doors testimony, she said in substance, 'I don't believe my father's claim of fraud undermining the election, I believe [former attorney general] Bill Barr.'"
He continued: "Boy, that was sort of Ivanka introducing her father to the undercarriage of a bus. So it may very well be that she's so desperately trying to stay out of that courtroom because if she testifies truthfully, it's really going to hurt dad and her brothers."
Newsweek reached out to Ivanka Trump's office via email for comment.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
