In the ongoing hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office have disclosed their intention to question Trump about various civil cases, including allegations of civil fraud and sexual abuse.
The prosecutors aim to delve into the costly verdicts and findings of wrongdoing from Trump’s numerous civil cases, should he choose to testify in his defense.
They plan to inquire about the judgment in the civil fraud suit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump and his company, as well as verdicts in lawsuits initiated by writer E. Jean Carroll. These cases have resulted in judgments totaling nearly $550 million, implicating Trump in instances of fraud and defamation.
The prosecutors seek to address findings from the civil fraud case, where the judge ruled that Trump had violated a gag order and provided untruthful testimony under oath, actions which Trump is currently appealing. They intend to leverage these findings to challenge Trump’s credibility should he take the witness stand.
Additionally, prosecutors aim to question Trump about other legal matters, including the criminal tax fraud prosecution of the Trump Organization and a settlement involving Trump’s foundation, where he was ordered to pay $2 million in damages for misuse of funds.
The disclosure precedes a crucial Sandoval hearing, scheduled for Friday, which is designed to determine the permissible scope of cross-examination by prosecutors. Trump’s attorneys have indicated their intention to contest the inclusion of these topics during questioning.
The hush money trial, considered the first-ever criminal trial against a former president, is currently in the jury selection phase. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment made to a porn star during the final days of the 2016 presidential election. He maintains his innocence and faces a potential sentence of up to four years in prison if convicted.
