Former President Trump’s civil fraud trial wraps up in New York

Attorneys for former President Donald Trump and from the New York Attorney General’s office gave closing arguments on Thursday after a months-long trial. New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump and his company of inflating his net worth on paperwork used in business deals. Prosecutors are seeking $370 million in penalties. Trump’s attorney, Chris Kise, on Thursday said the penalties would be unreasonable and that the transactions covered in the case did not cause harm. Prosecutor Kevin Wallace argued that the defense did not dispute the allegation that Trump submitted false financial statements. Judge Arthur Engoron said he hopes to have a decision by the end of the month.

What has Trump himself said about the case? During closing arguments, Engoron allowed Trump to address the court for about five minutes before cutting him off. Trump called the case a “political witch hunt” and insisted that he was innocent. On Wednesday, Engoron denied Trump permission to give a closing statement after his lawyers did not agree to the judge’s condition that Trump only discuss “relevant matters” and not politics.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta and Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about separate charges against Trump filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.