Days after former President Donald Trump got a taste of the witness stand, his New York civil business fraud trial is turning to the question of whether his daughter Ivanka will have to testify, too.
Friday’s court session is set to start with a hearing on the issue. Ivanka Trump has been dismissed from the case, and lawyers for her family and its business contend that she shouldn’t have to take the stand.
New York state lawyers say she should, and they argue that she has relevant information as the Trump Organization’s former executive vice president.
It’s unclear how soon Judge Arthur Engoron will decide, or when Ivanka Trump would testify if ordered to do so.
The civil case, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the former president, sons Donald Jr. and Eric, and the company of overstating the patriarch’s wealth for years on financial statements that were given to banks, insurers and others to help secure loans and deals.
As a civil matter, this case will not result in any jail time for Trump. It is different than E. Jean Carroll’s civil lawsuit in Manhattan (or the criminal indictment in Manhattan).
The Trumps and their business deny the state’s allegations, and the former president and current Republican 2024 front-runner has called the trial a politically motivated “sham.”
James, a Democrat, was elected in 2018. The year before, James announced, “I’ve been leading the resistance against Donald Trump in NYC and will only continue to do so in every way possible.”
On social media, Trump has been referring to James as a “Racist Attorney General.”
Meanwhile, Engoron has fined Trump $10,000 for violating his gag order. Trump has referred to the judge as a “Trump Hating Judge,” a “Radical Left Judge,” and an “unhinged Judge, a highly political and fully biased Trump Hater.”
Take a look —
I've been leading the resistance against Donald Trump in NYC and will only continue to do so in every way possible #NYCVotes #NY1Politics
— Tish James (@TishJames) October 16, 2017
The ex-president and his sons are expected to testify at some point. In a surprise preview, the elder Trump ended up briefly on the witness stand Wednesday to answer Engoron’s questions about an out-of-court comment.
Ivanka Trump’s lawyer argued in court papers that it’s unreasonable to make her take the stand. Noting that she’s neither a defendant nor a New York resident, attorney Bennet Moskowitz said the attorney general’s office was trying “to impose a heavy, unnecessary and improper burden on Ms. Trump to fill apparent gaps” in the state’s case.
In a separate filing, Donald Trump’s defense accused the state of belatedly endeavoring “to needlessly haul Ms. Trump into a highly publicized trial for the obvious purpose of harassment of both Ms. Trump and her father.”
Ivanka Trump was once a defendant in this case, but in June, a state appeals court in June dismissed the claims against her as too old.
She announced in January 2017, ahead of her father’s inauguration, that she was stepping away from her Trump Organization job. She soon became an unpaid senior adviser in the Trump White House.
State lawyers, however, have alleged in court papers that Ivanka Trump “was a key participant” in many events discussed in the case and “remains financially and professionally intertwined” with the family business and its leaders.
The attorney general’s office reportedly told the court in an email that the office would file a motion Friday to make Ivanka Trump appear.
“Ms. Trump remains under the control of the Trump Organization, including through her ongoing and substantial business ties to the organization. Ms. Trump reappointed herself to a participating member of several Trump Organization entities following her departure from government,” James reportedly wrote.
Related: Gasps heard as Donald Trump storms out of courtroom Wednesday
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.