Trump's defense concludes its case in New York fraud trial

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump ended a month-long procession of more than a dozen witnesses Tuesday with testimony from a feisty, combative accounting professor named Eli Bartov, who proclaimed that New York Attorney General Letitia James' case against Trump is "absurd."

Bartov's appearance marked the end of the two sides' core cases in the civil fraud trial. The state is expected to call two brief rebuttal witnesses before the case shifts to a new phase. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin on Jan. 11, and the judge plans to issue his ruling a few weeks later.

The trial has been a lengthy, tense standoff between Trump and James, who were often in the room as their lawyers clashed. From the beginning, they took turns lashing out at each other to the media gathered outside.

How the Trump fraud trial unfolded

Trump attended opening statements on Oct. 2, taking his motorcade downtown from Trump Tower on a nearly 80 degree day to proclaim James and the case "a disgrace." She would later call his comments "baseless" and his statements to the press, "a show." 

It was the first of nine appearances he'd make during the case, in which he, two of his sons and their company are accused of reaping more than $250 million through an alleged scheme designed to misrepresent his wealth to banks and insurers. All of the defendants deny wrongdoing.

The next day, on Oct. 3, Trump published to his social media site a derogatory post about a clerk who works for Arthur Engoron, the judge in the case.

The post earned Trump a gag order, setting in motion a parallel fight that left him seething at the limits a judge can impose on a defendant. He and his campaign twice violated the order, and he paid $15,000 in fines.

The state presented its case first and called more than 20 witnesses, including Trump himself, his children Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, as well as lesser-known defendants who formerly worked for the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney. Ivanka Trump was originally a defendant in the case, but allegations against her were dismissed by an appellate court due to the statute of limitations.

Throughout Trump's appearances at the court, he often addressed members of the press who were squeezed into two pens outside the courtroom. He offered commentary on topics ranging from the case and judge, to Capitol Hill and his opponents for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. On Oct. 25, though, he mentioned "a person who is very partisan sitting alongside" Engoron.

The judge was incensed. His clerk, who was the subject of the social media post that sparked the gag order, sits directly next to him at all times during proceedings. About an hour later, Engoron called Trump to the stand.

Engoron questioned Trump under oath. Trump claimed he was referring to the witness, his arch nemesis and former "fixer" Michael Cohen, who sat about five feet away from the judge. Engoron didn't buy it. Earlier in the case, Trump had been fined $5,000 when his campaign neglected to remove a reproduction of the offending social media post. This time, Engoron fined him $10,000.

"Do it again, it'll be worse," Engoron said. 

On Nov. 6, James' team called Trump to the stand. With the fate of his company on the line, Trump clashed with Engoron and hurled insults at James, who was sitting in the front row.

He repeatedly gave long-winded answers to questions about Trump Organization property valuations and other issues. The judge's patience wore thin, but Christopher Kise, one of Trump's attorneys, encouraged him to allow Trump to give answers in his own way.

"With this witness I would suggest it's far more efficient to listen to what he has to say and take it in," Kise said, prompting laughter from lawyers working for the attorney general. Engoron was not amused. His anger appeared to boil over, and his microphone struggled to handle the sudden change in volume as his voice rose.

"No, I'm not here to hear what he has to say," Engoron said, a line that would later be used in Trump campaign solicitations. "I'm here to hear him answer questions. Sit down!"

On Nov. 16, a New York appellate judge temporarily halted the gag order against Trump, while an appeal was considered. Within hours, Trump and his campaign staff began attacking the clerk again, primarily through social media posts. Before the appeal was rejected and the gag was reinstated on Nov. 30, the clerk experienced a deluge of threats, often antisemitic, according to a court security officer who submitted an affidavit.

Trump's team tried again to have the order lifted, to no avail. The matter is still pending before an appeals court.

Trump was expected to testify Monday, but ultimately, an extensive security apparatus and the national media were assembled in the blustery weather for a no-show. Trump announced late Sunday he had changed his mind about taking the stand one more time.

On Tuesday, he said it's because he was barred from criticizing the judge's clerk.

"I wanted to testify on Monday, despite the fact that I already testified successfully…." he wrote on his social media site, before adding, "the Judge, Arthur Engoron, put a GAG ORDER on me, even when I testify, totally taking away my constitutional right to defend myself. We are appealing, but how would you like to be a witness and not be allowed free snd [sic] honest speech."

Graham Kates

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]