Former President Donald Trump to attend New York civil trial opening

Former President Donald Trump is poised to make an appearance at the commencement of the high-stakes civil trial scheduled to begin this Monday in New York. Reliable sources, well-versed in Trump’s intentions, have confirmed his plan to attend at least the initial day of the trial, where he and his company will face off against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

This revelation surfaced in a court filing associated with a separate legal case, specifically Trump’s lawsuit against his former lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen. It became evident that Trump sought a postponement of a deposition originally scheduled for October 3rd. This request was driven by his desire to participate in the inaugural week of the impending trial.

According to sources with knowledge of the matter, Trump has every intention of being present during Monday’s proceedings. This decision materialized in the wake of a ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron, who will preside over the trial, holding Trump and his company liable for fraudulent activities.

In the court document pertaining to Cohen’s case, Judge Engoron noted, “Plaintiff represented that, now that pretrial rulings have been entered in the case that materially altered the landscape, it was imperative that he attend his New York trial in person—at least for each day of the first week of trial when many strategy judgments had to be made.”

During a campaign stop in California on Friday, Trump was asked about his plans to attend the trial on Monday, to which he responded, “I may, I may. What a disgrace. It’s a rigged — everything about this city is rigged. It’s all rigged now.”

This legal saga began in September 2022 when New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with her office, initiated a lawsuit against Trump, two of his children, and his company. They alleged years of fraudulent activities, including substantial overstatements of Trump’s wealth and property values on financial statements.

Judge Engoron’s recent ruling found Trump had overvalued properties by hundreds of millions and misrepresented his net worth by billions in the pursuit of bank loans. The upcoming trial will delve into additional allegations related to falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud, and conspiracy.

Lucian Chalfen, a court spokesperson, commented on the situation, stating, “We are prepared for any eventuality. Court Officers have been on a heightened state of readiness, and officers have been cautioned to remain alert and vigilant both inside the courthouse and while on perimeter patrols.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to offer any comments, and a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.