Ivanka Trump began testifying Wednesday in the the that is publicly probing the Trump family business, making an appearance she .
Ex-President Donald Trump鈥檚 elder daughter, who has been in his inner circle in both business and politics, rounds out a major stretch in the trial. Her father gave on Monday, and her brothers Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
Unlike them, she is no longer a defendant in New York Attorney General Letitia James鈥 lawsuit. It alleges that Donald Trump鈥檚 asset values were fraudulently pumped up for years on financial statements that helped him get loans and insurance.
The non-jury trial will decide allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records 鈥 but already has resolved the lawsuit鈥檚 top claim by . That decision came with provisions that could strip the ex-president of oversight of such marquee properties as Trump Tower, though of his holdings, at least for now.
James, a Democrat, is seeking over $300 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York.
The ex-president and Republican 2024 front-runner denies any wrongdoing, as do the other defendants. He insisted in court Monday that his financial statements greatly underestimated his net worth, that any discrepancies were minor, that a disclaimer absolved him of liability and that 鈥渢his case is a disgrace.鈥
Ivanka Trump was an executive vice president at the family鈥檚 Trump Organization before in her father鈥檚 White House. Like her brothers, who are still Trump Organization EVPs, she has professed minimal knowledge of their father鈥檚 annual financial statements.
鈥淚 don鈥檛, specifically, know what was prepared on his behalf for him as a person, separate and distinct from the organization and the properties that I was working on,鈥 she said during sworn questioning for the investigation that eventually led to the lawsuit. She said she didn鈥檛 know who prepared the statements or how the documents were compiled.
As a Trump Organization executive, Ivanka Trump dealt with securing a loan and a lease for a and financing for the Doral golf resort near Miami and a hotel and condo skyscraper in Chicago, according to court filings.
As her father鈥檚 inauguration neared, she announced in January 2017 that from her Trump Organization job. After her time in the administration, she moved to Florida.
An appeals court in the lawsuit in June, saying the claims against her were too old.
Her attorneys contended that she shouldn鈥檛 have to testify. They said the state was just trying to harass the family by dragging her into court.
The attorney general鈥檚 office argued that her testimony would be relevant, saying she was involved in some events discussed in the case and remains financially and professionally entwined with the Trump Organization and its leaders. The company has bought insurance for her and her businesses, managed her household staff and credit card bills, rented out her apartment and paid her legal fees, according to the state鈥檚 court papers.
Engoron and, later, ruled that she had to testify.
Jennifer Peltz And Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press