Eric Trump took the witness stand Thursday in his family's $250 million civil fraud trial, repeatedly denying involvement in financial statements that New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges were used to exaggerate Donald Trump's wealth and obtain favorable financial terms.
But his testimony faced scrutiny when state attorneys presented emails suggesting he had provided information used to prepare those very documents.
Eric Trump, an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, insisted that his responsibilities involved construction, property development, and daily business operations rather than preparing his father's financial statements.
"I had no involvement and never worked on my father's statement of financial condition," he testified.
However, attorney Andrew Amer presented emails from 2013 in which former Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney specifically requested information for Donald Trump's financial statements.
One email explicitly informed Eric Trump that McConney was preparing his father's statement of financial condition and needed details about a company property.
Other correspondence showed Eric Trump responding to requests for information about construction projects and property descriptions.
Confronted with the documents, Eric Trump acknowledged knowing that the company prepared financial statements but maintained that he had not understood how the requested information would be used.
The testimony is particularly significant because Eric Trump was involved in overseeing properties whose valuations are being challenged in the lawsuit, including the Trump National Golf Club and Seven Springs estate in Westchester County.
State attorneys allege that Trump Organization financial statements substantially inflated property values to secure more favorable loans and insurance arrangements.
Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that Donald Trump and other defendants committed fraud by overstating asset values. The ongoing trial will determine additional allegations and potential financial penalties.
Eric Trump's testimony follows that of his brother Donald Trump Jr., who similarly denied personally preparing the disputed financial statements and said he relied on company accountants.
Donald Trump and his sons deny wrongdoing and maintain that the lawsuit is politically motivated.
The former president is scheduled to testify Monday, as the trial continues examining how the Trump Organization calculated and reported the value of its real estate holdings.
For now, the emails introduced Thursday have placed Eric Trump's account of his involvement under renewed scrutiny, raising questions about how much the company's senior executives knew about the financial documents at the center of the case.