Lawyers for former President Donald Trump ended a month-long procession of more than a dozen witnesses Tuesday with testimony from a feisty, combative accounting professor named Eli Bartov, who proclaimed that New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case against Trump is “absurd.”
Bartov’s appearance marked the end of the two sides’ core cases in the civil fraud trial. The state is expected to call two brief rebuttal witnesses before the case shifts to a new phase. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin on Jan. 11, and the judge plans to issue his ruling a few weeks later.
The trial has been a lengthy, tense standoff between Trump and James, who were often in the room as their lawyers clashed. From the beginning, they took turns lashing out at each other to the media gathered outside.
