As the civil fraud trial against former President Donald Trump in New York drew toward a close, the New York Attorney General’s office sprung two surprise rebuttal witnesses on the defense team.
Kevin Sneddon, a former real estate broker for Trump International Realty, was presented as a witness to rebut the testimony of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, a codefendant in the case.
Eric Lewis, an accounting professor, was presented as an expert to rebut the testimonies of accounting professor Eli Barton and Jason Flemmons, CPA.
Trump attorney Chris Kise argued that these were not proper rebuttal witnesses, the attorney general should have presented them as witnesses before they rested their case, and the court should not allow the prosecutors to now “backfill” their case when they failed to meet the burden of proof initially….
Surprise Witnesses Shake Up Trump Fraud Trial as Closing Arguments Loom
As the civil fraud trial against former President Donald Trump in New York entered its final stretch, the New York Attorney General’s office delivered a surprise punch by presenting two rebuttal witnesses the defense had not anticipated.
Kevin Sneddon, a former real estate broker for Trump International Realty, was called to the stand to contradict the testimony of Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s CFO and a co-defendant in the case. Sneddon’s testimony aimed to undermine Weisselberg’s claims that he was unaware of any wrongdoing related to the inflation of property values.
In another unexpected move, Eric Lewis, an accounting professor, took the stand as an expert witness to counter the testimonies of accounting professor Eli Barton and Jason Flemmons, CPA, who had been brought in by the defense. Lewis’s role was to cast doubt on their assertions that the valuations of Trump properties were reasonable and within industry standards.
Trump’s attorney, Chris Kise, immediately challenged the admissibility of both witnesses, arguing that they were not proper rebuttals. He claimed that the Attorney General’s office should have presented them during their initial case-in-chief rather than attempting to “backfill” now that they had failed to meet their burden of proof.
Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the trial, allowed both witnesses to testify after hearing arguments from both sides. However, he did express some concerns about the timing of their presentations, stating that it was “unusual” to present rebuttal witnesses after the defense had rested its case.
Legal experts say that the introduction of these surprise witnesses could inject new life into the prosecution’s case, which has faced challenges throughout the trial. Sneddon’s testimony, if deemed credible, could bolster the Attorney General’s argument that the Trump Organization engaged in a deliberate scheme to inflate property values for financial gain. Similarly, Lewis’s testimony could cast doubt on the defense’s claims that the valuations were legitimate and not part of a fraudulent scheme.
However, the success of the rebuttal strategy hinges on how effectively the Attorney General’s office can utilize these witnesses and how Judge Engoron ultimately weighs their testimony against the defense’s evidence. With closing arguments scheduled for January, the trial’s outcome still hangs in the balance, and the surprise introduction of these witnesses has added another layer of uncertainty to the proceedings.
