In NY fraud trial, Eric Trump says he relied on others to verify documents
By Jack Queen
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Eric Trump testified on Friday that he relied on accountants and lawyers to verify the accuracy of financial documents that a judge has ruled to be fraudulent, in a trial that threatens to hobble his father Donald Trump's real estate empire.
In a second day on the witness stand, the former U.S. president's second son was confronted with evidence that showed he had signed off on documents that estimated the value of trophy properties like the Trump Seven Springs estate north of New York City and the Trump National Doral golf club in Florida.
That undercut his testimony on Thursday that he knew nothing about those estimates, which Judge Arthur Engoron found were fraudulently inflated to win favorable terms from lenders and insurers.
He said he counted on others to ensure those estimates were accurate. «I relied on one of the biggest accounting firms in the country and I relied on a great legal team, and when they gave me comfort that the statement was perfect, I was more than happy to execute it.»
He said he did not recall many of those interactions or was only involved with them peripherally while he oversaw other aspects of the sprawling business.
«I pick my phone up at five in the morning and I put it down at midnight. I have thousands of calls,» he said with irritation under questioning by state lawyer Andrew Amer.
Prior to his testimony, Trump lawyer Christopher Kise pressed Judge Arthur Engoron to lift a limited gag order that has prevented the former president from publicly criticizing court staff. Trump has already been fined $15,000 for violating that order twice.
Kise threatened to ask for a mistrial because Engoron's chief clerk allegedly engaged in political activity with
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