New York University accounting professor gave testimony for the former president this week.
Several law experts suggested that former President Donald Trump’s recent choice of expert witness was a smart move in his New York civil fraud trial.
With testimony winding down after more than two months, the Republican 2024 presidential front-runner showed up to watch New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov’s testimonial.
The academic disputed the crux of New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit: that President Trump’s financial statements were filled with fraudulently inflated asset values for such signature assets as his Trump Tower penthouse and his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
“My main finding is that there is no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud,” Mr. Bartov, whom Trump’s lawyers tapped to give expert perspective, told the court. The former president’s financial statements, he said, “were not materially misstated.”
Anything problematic, such as a huge year-to-year leap in the estimated value of the Trump Tower triplex, was merely an error, he argued. He also testified that financial statements are just starting points for lenders and…
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