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

Eric Trump has resumed his testimony this morning.

Before he took the stand, Donald Trump's attorney Chris Kise said that the defense team is considering requesting the mistrial on the basis of a Breitbart report alleging bias from Judge Engoron's law clerk.

"I think the defense will have to give serious consideration to seeking a mistrial," Kise said, initially referencing a vague media report that "some random individual" filed a complaint on Oct. 3 alleging "accusations of partisan political activity" by the judge's clerk.

"It's not information, it's an allegation," Judge Engoron initially responded. "I don't know what you are talking about, and I will respond later."

A state attorney argued that Kise was arguing a "frivolous position" and requested specifics about the news report Kise cited.

"I'm not the internet person. I want to say it is on Breitbart maybe. It's on a news outlet," Kise said, prompting laughter from the gallery.

"This idea that somebody notified me ... is absolutely untrue. OK? Absolutely untrue," Engoron responded. "I will let everybody in the room decide what they think about Breitbart."

"It's a shame you descended to this level," Engoron added.

A court spokesperson subsequently described the report as "not a serious complaint."

After a day of testimony in which tempers at times flared on all sides, Eric Trump will return to court this morning for what is expected to be his final day on the witness stand.

In a video statement posted to social media last night, New York Attorney General Letitia James suggested that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump's testimony yesterday highlighted how they lied to help inflate their father's net worth.

Eric Trump was "intimately involved in lying about the values of properties ... to make his father appear richer," while Donald Trump Jr. "continued to lie" by certifying his father's financial statements despite being confronted with misstatements, James alleged.

"They pretend that they were not involved in their family's fraudulent business. But the facts tell a very different story," James said in the video.

A New York appeals court has denied an emergency request from Ivanka Trump to stop her testimony at her father's civil fraud trial.

Trump's daughter, who is not a defendant in the case, was subpoenaed by the attorney general to testify.

She is currently scheduled to testify next week on Wednesday.

Outside court after court was adjourned for the day, Trump attorney Alina Habba defended the actions of Donald Trump's adult children on the heels of their testimony.

"These children are being brought in, away from their families, for doing nothing wrong," Habba said.

Echoing Trump, Habba attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James and called the trial "the biggest waste of New York taxpayer dollars I have ever seen."

"She piggybacked on Trump to get into office. She didn't do it well enough to become governor," Habba said, referencing James' failed attempt to run for New York governor in 2021.

"This is a waste of time," Habba said.

Exiting court separately with his attorney, Eric Trump shot a thumbs-up to an onlooker ahead of his return to the stand Friday morning.