'Federal crime': Legal expert says Ivanka Trump could face criminal charges from testimony
Ivanka Trump is potentially opening herself up to criminal charges by testifying in the civil fraud case surrounding her father, her brothers, and their family company, according to a former prosecutor.
Kristy Greenberg appeared on MSNBC's Alex Witt Reports on Saturday, where she was asked about the civil fraud case against Donald Trump, Don Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization. Trump himself is expected to testify in the case, and Ivanka was previously dismissed as a defendant but must still testify.
Greenberg was asked by the host if Ivanka's testimony "could it change the trajectory of this trial."
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
Greenberg said Ivanka's testimony is going to be "interesting."
"She is certainly going to be asked about these loans. She was the principal contact with Deutsche Bank, the largest lender to the Trump Organization, and really, she was involved in communicating what Donald Trump's net worth was," she said. "And Deutsche Bank has certain numbers that Donald Trump needed to continue to maintain as his net worth, in order to keep those loans. Expect testimony to be relevant as to that. With respect to Donald, Trump I anticipate his testimony is going to be deny, deny, deny."
The host then asked:
"If she were to speak the truth, and if that truth were to say, yeah, we inflated these things for these loans, -- does she have some sort of legal ramification of fault?"
Although she's not a defendant in this civil case, Greenberg noted, there could still "be other prosecutors' offices that are looking at this."
"So she would certainly have some exposure, potentially criminally for those kinds of statements making false statements, knowingly to a bank, that is a federal crime," she added.