Subtask publication, Mary Trump, the niece of former President Donald Trump, scrutinized her uncle’s strategic decision to expend millions on expert witnesses in the New York civil fraud trial, suggesting that this move may have unintentionally backfired.
As reported by Raw Story on December 11, 2023, Mary Trump highlighted the potential ramifications of utilizing funds from Donald Trump’s Save America PAC for this purpose. Notably, the experts enlisted in the trial ended up providing support for Attorney General Letitia James’ case against Trump, a development that could attract scrutiny from the Federal Election Commission.
The financial investment made by Donald Trump in hiring expert witnesses for the New York City fraud trial was substantial, with hourly rates ranging from $350 to an astonishing $1,595, totaling approximately $2.45 million. Mary Trump underscored that a significant portion of this sum was sourced from the Save America PAC, raising legal and ethical questions about the use of campaign funds for such endeavors.
Drawing attention to unintended consequences, Mary Trump suggested that the Federal Election Commission might investigate and potentially invalidate the use of funds, necessitating Trump to reimburse the campaign.
Beyond the financial scrutiny, Mary Trump emphasized a more critical issue arising from her uncle’s strategy—the inadvertent support provided by Trump’s own expert witnesses to Attorney General Letitia James’ case. She pointed out that the revelations made by James indicated contradictions in Donald Trump’s claims, particularly regarding the accuracy of his financial statements.
Mary Trump highlighted that one expert witness, an accounting professor, admitted to the inflation of the value of Trump’s triplex. The unintentional assistance provided by these expert witnesses, as detailed in Mary Trump’s Substack post, may have far-reaching consequences, weakening Trump’s position and casting doubt on the accuracy and reasonableness of his financial claims.
Despite the substantial financial investment in expert witnesses, the outcome of the civil fraud trial appears unpredictable and may not align with the expectations of Donald Trump and his legal team. The developments portrayed in Mary Trump’s Substack post underscore the intricate and often unpredictable nature of legal proceedings.