USA, Trump On Trial: Illegally Earned Billion

The trial of Donald Trump opened on October 2 in New York. The former US president is on trial, accused of increasing his family’s wealth by $3.6 billion through defrauding banks and insurance companies.

At a hearing today, lawyers for the New York State Attorney General accused Trump of making $1 billion by misrepresenting financial information over more than a decade. The tycoon is defended by lawyer Christ Kise, who explained in his opening statement that, on the contrary, there is nothing illegal in the finances of Trump and the Trump Organization.

“There is no fraud. There is no illegality. There is no non-compliance. There is no wrongdoing. There is no unfair gain. There are no victims,” said Kise, as quoted by Reuters. “Trump is one of the most successful brands in the world, and he made his fortune by making the right real estate investments.”

Attorney General Letitia James asked for a $250 million fine, a ban on Trump and his two implicated sons (Donald Jr. and Eric) from doing business in New York, and a five-year ban on commercial real estate activities.

Trump, even before entering the hall, commented on the case as “the greatest witch hunt of all time. I have built a great company that owns one of the largest real estate holdings in the world. And now I will have to appear before a dishonest judge.”