Trump assails judge and concedes a role in valuing his empire's property

New York: Within minutes of Donald Trump's taking the witness stand Monday, his civil fraud trial in Manhattan devolved into a chaotic spectacle. The former president lashed out at his accusers and denied their claims, even while conceding involvement in some of the conduct at the case's heart.

Ranting and rambling, Trump attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James as a "political hack." He derided the proceeding as "a very unfair trial." And he scolded the judge overseeing the case, Arthur F Engoron, for having decided before the trial that he had committed fraud.

The outbursts demonstrated the former president's disdain for a case that has already imperiled his family business and labeled him a fraud and a cheat. James has not only put his company on trial, but also called into question the richer-than-rich persona that he built over his years as a businessman and reality television star.

Trump, who was accused by James of inflating his net worth to defraud banks and insurers, acknowledged helping to assemble annual financial statements submitted to the banks.

"I would look at them, I would see them, and I would maybe on occasion have some suggestions," said Trump.

Although the admission appeared to bolster the attorney general's case, Trump also sought to minimize the import of the financial statements, which he said he largely left to aides. He noted that they contained numerous disclaimers, making them essentially "worthless." Banks paid little attention to them, he said, before promising, unprompted, that some of his bankers would soon testify in his defense.

Trump, the leading Republican contender for the presidency, brought combative energy to the courtroom, punctuating his testimony with grandiose claims and long-winded asides that infuriated the judge and obscured some of his more effective testimony.

The testimony pushed Trump far outside his campaign-trail comfort zone to the controlled environs of a courtroom, where lying is a crime and outbursts can land you in contempt of court. The deeply personal nature of the trial for Trump, 77, whose obsession with his wealth is a defining feature of his celebrity, injected an extra dose of emotion into his testimony.

Speaking with reporters after the testimony, James said that Trump had "rambled" and "hurled insults" but that "evidence demonstrated that in fact, he falsely inflated his assets to basically enrich himself and his family."