The attorney general’s office argued in its closing presentation that Trump “acted with intent” to fraudulently inflate the value of his assets in his financial statements

Washington: Former US President Donald Trump addressed the defence table during the hearing of the USD 370 million New York civil fraud case, saying that it was ‘politically motivated’. He stood up at the defense table, denouncing the accusations levelled against him and voiced a belief that he deserves compensation for the tarnish such a case has appended to his reputation. Taking a swipe at Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the hearings in the case, Trump said, “The facts are (that) the financial statements are perfect, that there are no witnesses against us. The banks got all their money paid back. There were great loans.”

The attorney general’s office argued in its closing presentation that Trump “acted with intent” to fraudulently inflate the value of his assets in his financial statements. “The buck stopped with him,” said Andrew Amer, a lawyer for the attorney general’s office, saying that Trump was responsible for the conduct Trump Org. executives Allen Weisselberg and Jeff McConney participated in to inflate his assets.

“This was a political witch hunt,” Trump said while speaking to Engoron in an unscheduled moment in court. “What’s happened here, sir, is a fraud on me,” while Trump attorney Chris Kise renewed his request to Engoron to give Trump “two-to-three minutes” to make his case directly to the judge.

Engoron addressed Trump, asking if he would promise just to comment on the facts in the case. “I think this case goes outside just the facts,” Trump responded, taking the opening to launch into a five-minute speech from the defense table. Engoron sat back for several minutes, letting Trump go on, before interrupting him to tell him his time was running short.

Earlier, during the hearing, Trump’s attorney Chris Kise, in his closing submission, urged the judge to reject the claims against the Republican leader, saying that the case goes ‘beyond Trump.”What you do, judge, impacts every corporation in New York,” Kise argued. He charged that the attorney general “wants limitless power to intervene in commercial real estate transactions.”

“You just cannot allow the attorney general to pursue a victimless crime and impose a corporate death penalty,” CNN quoted Kise as telling the judge at the hearing.

The former president was charged by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who accused Trump, his company, and several executives, including his two adult sons, of falsely inflating and deflating the value of his company’s assets in order to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage.

CNN reported earlier that New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking USD 370 million in damages and to bar Trump from doing business in the state.