Donald Trump will not testify in fraud trial, claims it's election interference

(Patria) - Former President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he will not testify in a New York courtroom this week, where he was expected to appear for a second time to prove that his company did not misrepresent the value of its assets to secure favorable financing.

The fraud trial, which began in October, is one of several legal challenges facing the former president, Reuters reminds.

Trump said on social media on Sunday that he “will not be testifying on Monday”.

The former president and Republican candidate said he had already testified and that he “has nothing more to say except that this is a complete and total election interference”.

In his first appearance in November, Trump often avoided direct answers and spent a lot of time complaining about unfair treatment.

The judge overseeing the trial, Arthur Engoron, has already ruled that Trump and his adult sons manipulated financial statements to get banks and insurers to provide better loan and insurance terms.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages and a permanent ban on Trump and his sons Donald Jr. and Eric from doing business in New York.

Trump faces four unrelated federal and state criminal indictments, including two stemming from his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has pleaded not guilty in all these cases.

Nevertheless, none of these cases have diminished his lead for the Republican nomination.