Lawyers from the New York attorney general's office confronted former President Donald Trump in court Monday, showing a previously unseen deposition video in which he denied responsibility for the property valuations in his own company.
In the video, shown on the enormous TV screens in the downtown Manhattan courtroom, Trump was asked who at the Trump Organization was tasked with making sure the family company's financial statements abided by generally accepted accounting principles.
Was it Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer?
"I would say yes," Trump answered.
It was Weisselberg who made sure properties were valued according to GAAP, he said.
Moments earlier, Kevin C. Wallace, the attorney general's office lawyer presenting the opening statement, had shown a different deposition video of Weisselberg. Another lawyer from the attorney general's office asked whether he was familiar with GAAP.
"I never took the CPA exam, never studied for it," Weisselberg said, explaining he wasn't familiar with GAAP. "So I don't know all the components for it."
The juxtaposition got to the heart of New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against Trump, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Weisselberg, and their fellow executive Jeff McConney. The attorney general's lawsuit says someone is lying about how the financial statements were prepared, and that proves the defendants were acting with an intent to defraud.
By appearing in court, Trump is dodging another deposition