The New Yorker:

The former President’s time in the witness-box generally does his defense more harm than good.

By John Cassidy

Courtroom 300 at the New York County Courthouse was quiet on Monday following Donald Trump’s last-minute decision not to testify again in his civil trial on charges of business fraud. The proceeding, which began in early October, is now approaching an end. Trump’s lawyers are wrapping up the defense’s case. They had been scheduled to call him as their final witness—one of them had said last week that he wanted to testify—but, on Sunday, Trump announced on his social-media site that he wouldn’t be showing up. “I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say other than this is a complete & total election interference (Biden campaign!) witch hunt,” he wrote.

Of course, the Biden Administration has nothing to do with this case, which is being brought by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James. Last month, James’s lawyers called Trump as a witness for the prosecution. On the stand, he tried to dismiss the significance of his inflated statements of net worth, which are at the heart of the case. If he had testified again on Monday, it would have given him another chance to defend himself and take some more potshots at James and Judge Arthur F. Engoron, who is presiding over a bench case with no jury. But it would also have given the prosecutors a second crack at him, on cross-examination.

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