Donald Trump's lawyers appeared to undermine the former president's defense during his civil fraud trial on Monday, sharing seemingly misleading information about the size of his properties.
The trial stems from a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James that alleges Trump, his company, the Trump Organization, and his top executives exaggerated his wealth and assets on annual financial statements that were used to secure loans and make deals. James is seeking more than $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has characterized the lawsuit as a political "witch hunt" by James as he campaigns for the Republican Party nomination to retake the White House in 2024.
Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., returned to the Manhattan courtroom on Monday as defense lawyers began calling their own witnesses. He spent more than an hour narrating a slideshow called "The Trump Story," the Associated Press reported. The presentation featured a timeline of the Trump Organization's evolution and photographs of golf courses, hotels and other major real estate projects.
And in an apparent demonstration of how the Trump family exaggerated their assets, the presentation included misleading information about 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, according to Dan Alexander, a senior editor at Forbes.
One slide displayed on the screen in court described the property, which was renamed The Trump Building, as a "72 story landmark building in the Financial District, directly across from the New York Stock Exchange."
But 40 Wall Street is actually 63 stories tall, Alexander noted, citing documents filed with New York City and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The building is also around the corner from the New York Stock Exchange, not directly across from it.
Newsweek reached out to Donald Trump's attorney Christopher Kise via email for comment.
Alan Garten, the Trump Organization's chief legal officer, told Forbes that 40 Wall Street has 63 floors of commercial space but said that "when you add the space from 63 to the cupola, the building totals 72 floors."
Trump's lawyers also presented a slide claiming the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, is 64 stories tall.
But Alexander noted that an architectural drawing shows the floor numbers jumping from what appears to be the 8th level to the 16th, allowing the top floor to be numbered 64.
Trump is also facing charges in four criminal cases. He has denied all wrongdoing in each of the cases.
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Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on abortion rights, race, education, ... Read more
