Trump civil fraud case: Judge fines Trump $354M, says frauds 'shock the conscience'

Trump attorney Chris Kise wrapped up his closing statement by warning that the upcoming ruling in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial "impacts every corporation in New York."

"This decision is not just about President Trump," Kise said.

"What you do, judge, impacts every corporation in New York. The commercial marketplace would cease to exist as we know it," Kise warned.

Kise repeated his claim that the alleged fraud lacks any witnesses, allegations of fraud, and lost money; instead, the case is simply the "weaponization" of New York Executive Law 63(12), he argued.

"You cannot allow the attorney general to pursue a victimless fraud and enforce the corporate death penalty," Kise said.

Trump's attorney Chris Kise hammered away at the New York attorney general's request for a fine of $370 million, calling the request "pure speculation" in his closing argument.

"You can't just make up a number in the sky," Kise argued, criticizing the New York AG for stepping into private transactions.

"The attorney general is going to come along ten years later because she does not like Donald Trump," Kise said.

Arguing that Trump's main lender at Deutsche Bank was happy to do business with the Trump Organization despite accusations that Trump overvalued his assets, Kise said that the state is attempting to rely on expert testimony due to a lack of testimony from bankers alleging wrongdoing.

Judge Engoron intervened twice during Kise's argument to cast doubt on the claim that happy bankers mean there was no wrongdoing.

"If the bank doesn't say it's material, then it's simply not material," Kise responded.

"That's not logically correct," Engoron said. "You can't just get a witness to say it was not material to us, so it was not material."

Kise also spent a significant portion of his closing statement criticizing former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who he argued was the only witness to support the attorney general's claim of a conspiracy to defraud lenders.

"We have an individual who comes into the courtroom and lies right in front of you, and the attorney general wants you to find him credible," Kise said regarding Cohen reversing his testimony during the trial.

Defense attorney Chris Kise began his closing argument by reciting the greatest hits of Trump's defense case, highlighting the lack of victims, intent, and claims of wrongdoing.

According to Kise, Trump's net worth is higher than claimed in his statement of financial condition, and the entire case was "manufactured to pursue a political agenda" by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"There is no testimony from anyone as to how the defendant's conduct allegedly harmed the marketplace," Kise said with Donald Trump looking on from three feet behind him.

Kise then touted the testimony of the former president, who he praised for "shaping the skyline of New York,'' as evidence that he and his sons committed no wrongdoing.

"There are few people in the world who have succeeded in the real estate industry this well, that have been this successful," Kise said of Trump.

Kise instead placed the blame for the case on Trump's deputies at the Trump Organization and his accountants at Mazars USA.

"President Trump relied on multimillion-dollar accountants at Mazars," Kise said. "Allen Weisselberg, Jeffrey McConney, and Donald Bender were the three most principally involved in the presentation and preparation of the statements of financial condition. Guess which one is a CPA? Bender."

Trump attorney Chris Kise began his closing argument after Judge Engoron opened the proceedings without addressing Trump's desire to deliver part of the defense's closing statement.

Trump is seated in his usual seat at the defense counsel table, sandwiched between his attorneys.

Engoron lobbed jokes while the pool cameras prepared to enter the courtroom.

"Lining them up -- are they going to be shot or something?" the judge quipped. "I see the usual mixture of anticipation and dread out there. Trust me, this will be painless."