In a recent civil fraud trial, Donald Trump’s legal counsel argued that the New York Attorney General is “terrified” of a defense witness who posits that Deutsche Bank AG would not have been misled by the ex-president’s purportedly inflated financial testimonies. Here is where you can find more details about the courtroom proceedings.
The defense witness, Eli Bartov, is an accounting professor who is paid $1,350 per hour to stand for Trump. Bartov stated that Deutsche Bank would have conducted their own evaluation of Trump’s net worth before lending him hundreds of millions of dollars years ago. This, he asserts, means the bank wouldn’t have merely taken Trump’s financial statements at face value.
Bartov’s evidence was intended to challenge the state’s claim that Deutsche Bank was tricked by the former president’s financial statements. However, the Attorney General’s representative in court dismissed this notion, responding to the defense counsel’s statement with an “Oh, come on” during open court. The opposing side appears to be skeptical of the idea that such a seasoned financial institution as Deutsche Bank would not depend significantly on the financial assertions of its borrowers.
The trial continues as more information and witness testimonies are brought forward. The outcome of this trial, involving a former US President and a major multinational bank, has the potential influence on the perception of the relationship between political power and financial institutions.