- Trump’s New York fraud trial, now in its third week, skidded to a brief stop Wednesday
- morning.A Trump attorney shouted, “You lied yesterday,” while cross-examining a key state’s witness.
- Trump watched avidly as cross-accusations of perjury and witness intimidation flew.
Former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial came to a skidding halt Wednesday morning when his lawyers accused a witness of lying on the stand, and lawyers for the New York attorney general’s office shouted back that the witness was being intimidated.
“You lied yesterday, didn’t you?” a lawyer for Trump’s side shouted at the witness, prompting five minutes of sometimes heated cross-accusations of perjury, witness intimidation, and showboating for the press.
“Let’s calm down,” the judge told both sides after asking that the witness — Doug Larson, a former outside appraiser for the Trump Organization — be escorted out.
The appraiser was accused of having lied the day before, when he testified that back in 2013, he’d never had a discussion with a Trump executive about a particular way of setting a value to one of Trump’s skyscrapers.
Trump himself, who’s attending the trial, watched the ensuing drama avidly.
He appeared to be following the appraiser’s testimony closely, and minutes earlier he had caused some tumult by audibly reacting. Trump could be heard whispering angrily to the lawyers on either side of him. At one point, he hit the wooden defense table with both of his hands.
A lawyer for Letitia James, the state attorney general, objected, without naming Trump, to the “exhortations” coming from the defense table.
That prompted the judge, state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, to ask that there be no further exhortations, “particularly if it was meant to influence the testimony.”
The larger fireworks followed soon afterward.
Lazaro Fields, one of Trump’s defense lawyers, cross-examined Larson, who worked for the firm Cushman & Wakefield while conducting bank-ordered appraisals of Trump property.
Fields waved a hard copy of emails from 2013 in his hand. In the emails, Jeffrey McConney, a former Trump Organization comptroller, and Larson exchanged market information concerning 40 Wall St., a 70-story Manhattan skyscraper that Trump owns the land lease for.
Larson, who was appraising the building, had included capitalization rates in market data he emailed to McConney.
But on Tuesday, Larson had answered, “No, I did not,” when a lawyer for the attorney general asked, “Did you work with Mr. McConney in 2013 to determine the cap rate that he used to value this property?”
This was a “gotcha” moment, Trump’s team seemed to feel.
“You lied yesterday, didn’t you?” Fields shouted at the appraiser, continuing to wave the stack of emails in his hand.
“I did not — that’s what I recall,” the appraiser answered, as more than one of the attorney general’s lawyers half-rose from their seats to shout, “Objection.”
Before the judge could rule, Trump’s lead lawyer, Christopher Kise, stood up from his seat to Trump’s right, interrupting the exchange by insisting that the appraiser was in grave need of legal protection from a perjury charge.
“The witness has rights,” Kise said, as Trump watched intently.
The AG’s side was highly skeptical of this sudden display of concern for their witness’s rights. “This is witness intimidation,” an assistant attorney general, Colleen K. Faherty, protested, standing.
“He has a right to consult with his counsel, your honor,” Kise persisted, referring again to the AG witness’ right to consult, immediately, with an attorney. “I think he needs to be advised as to potential perjury.”
“Officer,” the judge finally said above the cross talk, “can you escort the witness out?”
The flummoxed-looking appraiser was led out by a court officer.
“Let’s all calm down,” the judge told the two sides. It didn’t work.
Source: I N S I D E R
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