Eric Trump's Testimony: A Tense Showdown Over Trump Organization's Financial Statements

Eric Trump became visibly agitated during his testimony as the New York attorney general's office questioned him about his father's financial statements, according to NBC News. He had followed his brother, Donald Trump Jr., on the witness stand and, like his sibling, attempted to distance himself from the financial statements at the center of New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million fraud lawsuit against the Trump Organization.

Eric Trump asserted that he had never been involved in the preparation of the Trump Organization's statement of financial condition and claimed that he had no knowledge of it until the lawsuit arose. He stated, "I don't think I ever saw or worked on a statement of financial condition. I don't believe I would have known about it - not what I did."

However, his demeanor changed when he was confronted with a decade-old email in which he had suggested limiting the distribution of a summary of his father's personal finances. This email raised questions about whether it referred to the statement of financial condition that Eric claimed to be unaware of. Eric Trump reportedly became agitated when pressed on this matter.

Eric responded, "I was not personally aware of a statement of financial condition, and I did not work on a statement of financial condition." He later admitted that it "appears that way" when shown an email from a Trump employee in 2013 requesting information from him to compile his father's statement of financial condition.

According to MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin, Eric Trump's frustration grew, and he raised his voice, stating, "We are a major corporation. Of course, we had financial statements."

CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen noted on Twitter that Eric, much like his brother, faced intense questioning from the attorney general's team during his testimony. He denied involvement in the financial statements but was immediately confronted with emails that contradicted his claims.

Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who served on special counsel Bob Mueller's team, pointed out that distancing themselves from the Trump financial statements was not a viable defense for Don Jr. and Eric, as Judge Engoron had already determined the statements to be fraudulent.

MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang emphasized that the trial was before a judge rather than a jury, meaning Judge Engoron would be the one to assess the credibility of witnesses and make important determinations. She suggested that Don Jr. and Eric's attempts to influence the judge might not be successful.