‘I don’t recall’: Ivanka Trump testifies in father’s New York fraud trial

During her testimony at her father's $250 million fraud trial, Ivanka Trump was asked about business transactions that prosecutors allege demonstrated the Trump Organization's intentional deception of lenders. In her responses, she repeatedly stated that she could not remember.

The oldest daughter of Trump delivered a poised and composed presentation following her father and brothers' frequently disorganized testimony. She mentioned that she had not been employed by the family business since 2017 and claimed that she couldn't remember certain talks, but stated: "I don't have any reason to mistrust it."

Just like her dad and siblings, she always claimed that she couldn't remember the specifics of the talks or deals. She stated, "There were numerous emails and lots of discussions."

The examination is only one item on a list of many that the top contender for the Republican presidential nomination must confront. Trump has been accused of committing 91 serious offenses in various lawsuits located in New York, Florida, Washington, and Georgia.

The attorney general of New York is attempting to provide evidence that the Trump family and other high-level employees intentionally exaggerated Trump's riches to obtain beneficial loans.

During a conversation, Ivanka Trump was presented with a set of emails and various paperwork regarding a loan granted by Deutsche Bank's private wealth management unit. The loan had a precondition that Trump had to uphold a value exceeding $3 billion. Ivanka Trump engaged in negotiations to lower the net worth agreement to $2.5 billion, following concerns shared by a Trump attorney.

When Ivanka Trump mentioned the conditions in 2011, she expressed that they couldn't have been better. She also suggested that they should have a dialogue about it soon. In that year, Donald Trump declared he had a value of $4.2bn. However, according to the prosecution's argument, it is believed that Trump's worth was not $2bn at the same time.

When questioned about various documents and emails that demonstrated her involvement in securing funds for the Trump Organization, she stated that she couldn't remember.

When questioned about her comprehension of the financial records that were the focus of the case, and which were utilized as collateral for a loan to acquire the Old Post Office site in Washington DC, where the now inactive Trump International hotel was located, Trump responded by stating that she had a basic understanding. According to her, a personal guarantee was necessary for the loan, and the team had ensured that all of the prerequisites were met in accordance with the agreement.

The lawyers of Trump argued that Deutsche Bank was happy to conduct transactions with the family, and favorable loans were a part of their efforts to impress them. Ivanka Trump stated that one of the bank's prominent bankers had "extremely elated" to have their account. Nevertheless, Deutsche Bank cut off all connections with Trump after the fatal assault at the US Capitol in January 6, 2021.

In the previous month, Ivanka Trump requested to be excused from the prosecution's witness list, but her request was not granted. She claimed that it would cause her significant difficulties if she testified in court during the school week. Initially, the attorney general's office wanted Ivanka to testify before the former president, but postponed her appearance because of her appeal.

In the past, Ivanka Trump was named as a co-defendant with her father and two adult brothers in a legal case. However, last summer, an appeals court dismissed the accusations against her stating that her connection to the Trump Organization had exceeded the time limit for legal action.

Prior to the start of the legal proceedings, Judge Arthur Engoron declared that Trump had committed the offense of falsely increasing the worth of his possessions on financial statements approved by the state. These documents were utilized to finalize agreements and acquire loans. Despite Trump's legal team contesting the verdict, he could potentially forfeit his state business permits if the higher court concurs with Engoron. The ongoing trial involves calculating the financial penalty that Trump must pay. The prosecution is pushing for no less than $250 million.

Before 2017, Ivanka Trump worked as one of the main leaders of the Trump Organization, working alongside her brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. However, she left this position to assist her father in his White House duties. As part of her previous job, Ivanka played a role in acquiring funding deals to develop properties for the company.

Last week, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, who are siblings, provided testimony to distance themselves from the financial documents that are the focus of the case. However, there are several records indicating that they confirmed the accuracy of the financial statements and were even consulted regarding such statements.

Trump did not attend any of his children's testimonies in court. Prior to his daughter's appearance, he once again criticized the judge and the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who initiated the lawsuit against him. On his social media platform, Truth Social, he labeled James as "Corrupt and Racist," even emphasizing her race, despite being irrelevant to the case.

After her father's defeat in the US presidential elections, Ivanka Trump has taken steps to separate herself from the Trump family business. In April, she sought the services of her own lawyers in relation to the ongoing case in New York.

In past statements, the older daughter of Trump veered away from the opinions held by her family. During an investigation into the Capitol insurrection of January 6th, she stated that she did not share her father's vehement belief that the election was stolen. This happened in 2022.