A New York appeals court has upheld the decision that Ivanka Trump, daughter of former President Donald Trump, must testify in the family’s ongoing $250 million bank fraud trial. The court dismissed Ivanka’s attempt to avoid testifying through an appeal, scheduling her appearance on November 8.
Originally implicated as a defendant alongside her father, Donald Trump, and brothers Eric and Donald Jr, Ivanka narrowly escaped inclusion in the case earlier this year. An appeals court had determined that her actions were beyond the statute of limitations. The charges against the trio involve allegations of deceiving banks and insurers by significantly inflating the elder Trump’s net worth.
Last week, Ivanka contested the order to testify, claiming “undue hardship” due to the difficulty of arranging childcare during the school week. However, the court rejected her argument, suggesting that finding a babysitter should not pose a significant challenge.
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Donald Trump Jr has already concluded his testimony, while Eric Trump’s testimony is set to continue through Friday. Mary Trump, the former president’s estranged niece, expressed skepticism about the impact of the children’s testimonies, stating that they must navigate a delicate balance between avoiding perjury and appeasing their father’s ego. Mary Trump, in an exclusive newsletter, indicated that Ivanka Trump might break this pattern. She suggested that Ivanka, being financially independent, is likely to be more forthcoming about her father’s business dealings and may not hesitate to “tell the truth and throw him under the bus.”
Judge Arthur Engoron, presiding over the trial, has ruled that Trump and his sons committed fraud, leading to the revocation of the Trump Organization’s business certificates. Despite the ruling, Donald Trump is actively pursuing an appeal in an effort to challenge the decision.
