Trump says he won't testify in his civil fraud trial in Manhattan
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- Donald Trump will not testify in his civil fraud trial in Manhattan on Monday.
- Trump said on TruthSocial that he has "nothing more to say" and called the trial a "witch hunt."
- One more defense witness will testify on Monday instead.
Donald Trump announced Sunday he will not testify, as had been expected, in his $250 million civil fraud trial in Manhattan on Monday.
"I HAVE ALREADY TESTIFIED TO EVERYTHING & HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY OTHER THAN THAT THIS IS A COMPLETE & TOTAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE (BIDEN CAMPAIGN!) WITCH HUNT, THAT WILL DO NOTHING BUT KEEP BUSINESSES OUT OF NEW YORK, I WILL NOT BE TESTIFYING ON MONDAY. MAGA!" Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
Instead, one more defense witness is expected to testify on Tuesday: New York University professor Eli Bartov, who also took the stand on Thursday and Friday last week. Following Bartov, lawyers for the state have said they will call at least two rebuttal witnesses to the stand. Then, both sides will go quiet for roughly three weeks while they prepare written briefs summarizing their arguments.
Justice Arthur Engoron is expected to rule on the case in the new year.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked Engoron to fine Trump at least $250 million and permanently ban him and his two eldest sons from running their business in the state for what a judge has already found were a decade's worth of bogus financial statements.
Experts previously told Business Insider that testifying for a second time would be a risky strategy for Trump, who enjoys "working the crowd" and delivering lengthy monologues. But that won't fly on a cross-examination, according to Tristan Snell, who was lead assistant attorney general on the state's successful investigation into Trump University.
"On cross, you can give the witness a statement and ask, 'Isn't that correct?' And they can only answer 'yes, no, or I don't remember,'" Snell said. "There's very little ability for the witness to deliver a monologue."
A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.