Don Trump Jr. jokes about perjury after judge admonishes him for speed-talking
Donald Trump Jr. took the stand on Monday as the first witness for the Trump Organization's defense in the $250 million financial fraud case filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The son of former President Donald Trump had previously appeared when called by the prosecution, claiming that he was not involved in preparing the financial documents used by the company for loan applications and insurance bids, and stating that was the job belonging to the company's accountants.
On Monday he was called as a witness by Trump's team. Under friendly questioning, defense lawyers began by leading him through questions about the Trump Org., its history and his position within the company — to which he responded by stating, "I was more of a big picture, deal guy,” according to MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin who was sitting in the courtroom.
According to Rubin, Don Jr's rapid-fire way of speaking led Judge Arthur Engoron to halt the questioning and implore the former president's son to slow down.
Rubin wrote on X, "Engoron asks Trump, Jr. to slow down for the sake of the court reporter. In good spirits, Trump Jr. turns to Engoron after agreeing and says, 'I’d say it is good to be here, your Honor, but the attorney general might sue me for perjury.'"
She later added that Trump Jr. addressed renovations made at the Mar-a-Lago resort, saying his father spent $15-16 million, to “be able to host some of the finest weddings in the world” in a new ballroom, to which attorney Rubin added, "This matters because building a new ballroom should have been a violation of Trump’s agreement with the National Trust for Historic Preservation."