Judge Denies Trump’s Request to Call Court-Appointed Monitor as Witness
In the ongoing civil fraud trial in New York against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, the former president’s lawyers attempted to add Barbara Jones, the court-appointed monitor critical of the organization’s transparency, as a defense witness. However, the judge, Arthur Engoron, rejected their request, preventing Trump’s legal team from calling her to the stand. Jones, a retired federal judge, has consistently highlighted the Trump Organization’s shortcomings in terms of thoroughness and transparency throughout her year-long tenure as the independent watchdog.
Despite not being present in the courthouse, Jones’s criticisms were showcased by the attorney general’s office. Andrew Amer, representing the state Attorney General Letitia James, displayed excerpts from Jones’s report on large screens, emphasizing the incomplete data provided by the Trump Organization to lenders regarding material liabilities and inconsistencies in financial statements.
The defense had hoped to prove that Jones had not found any evidence of fraud during her monitorship. However, the judge prohibited her and her staff attorney from being witnesses, avoiding any potential conflicts of interest. Engoron noted that he could not find any existing precedent for an independent monitor testifying in a case they were monitoring.
In addition to the denied request to call Jones, the defense confirmed that Eric Trump would testify on December 6 and Donald Trump himself would be the final witness for the defense on December 11. The attorney general is seeking to permanently prohibit Trump and his two eldest sons from conducting business in New York, based on allegations of fraud in their net-worth statements over the course of a decade.
