Testimony continued on Wednesday in a civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump by the state of New York. Co-defendant and Trump son Donald Trump Jr. took to the stand to answer questions about his involvement in the case.
What Happened: Trump and his two oldest sons are not required to attend every day in person for the civil fraud case in New York. The former president has attended several times including days last week when former attorney Michael Cohen testified against him.
As a witness in the case, Trump Jr. attended the trial Wednesday and took the stand. Photographers were allowed to take pictures of Trump Jr. before he took the witness stand.
"I should have worn makeup," Trump Jr. said in response.
A recap of the trial shared by NBC News said Trump Jr. was relaxed on the witness stand.
During his testimony, Trump. Jr was asked about GAAP, which stands for generally accepted accounting principles."
While Trump Jr. said he was aware of GAAP and it being "accounting 101 in the late 1990s," the co-defendant said other than that he knows nothing about GAAP, leaving those details for his accountants.
Trump Jr. also said he wasn't familiar with ASC, accounting standards codification.
"I have no understanding."
Trump Jr. told the court that former Trump Organization accountant Donald Bender was someone the family trusted.
"(Bender) worked for us for decades. He handles practically everything. He was an outside accountant we relied heavily on for our accounting needs."
Bender, who was a previous witness in the case, said his financial statements were put together based on information from the Trumps.
Trump Jr. said he signed off on financial statements he didn't prepare because he listened to what Bender and other accountants had done.
"These people had incredible intimate knowledge and I relied on them."
Trump Jr. said he was executive vice president of the Trump Organization before his father became U.S. president. His responsibilities included items like international business, leasing and branding, according to his testimony. Trump Jr. said he reported to his father and CFO Allen Weisselberg.
When Trump became the U.S. president, Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Weisselberg took over the company, but kept their titles.
Related Link: Trump Leads Biden In Swing States, Voters Not A Fan Of Bidenomics
What's Next: Court adjourned with Trump Jr. on the stand and he was scheduled to return to the stand Thursday. The co-defendant was directed not to discuss the case with anyone while he was still on the stand.
Trump Jr. is the first of the three eldest Trump children to take the stand. Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump will also testify in the case.
Trump is expected to be the second to last to testify in the trial, with the last scheduled witness an expert on damages.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in penalties against Trump and his businesses and a ban on the former president being able to conduct business in the state of New York in the future.
The civil fraud trial could last until Dec. 22, 2023, according to a previous statement by the judge.
Read Next: Trump's GOP Lead Drops Slightly In Latest Poll
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