Donald Trump's sons defiant in New York fraud trial

Donald Trump's two eldest sons took the stand in a New York court, testifying in a civil fraud trial that threatens to engulf the family's property empire.

Prosecutors say Eric and Donald Trump Jr played key roles in the Trump Organization's efforts to exaggerate its wealth and falsify records.

In court, the brothers denied wrongdoing and sought to shift the blame onto the company's accountants.

Their sister Ivanka is also expected to testify later in November.

The judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, has already ruled that the Trump Organization committed massive fraud.

The trial will ultimately determine what civil penalty should be imposed. New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking a fine of $250m (£204m) and a ban on the former president and his sons doing business in the state.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump Jr became the first of Donald Trump's children to give evidence in the case. He is an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, along with Eric.

Over two hours of testimony, he said he did not work on the financial statements at the centre of the case and that the documents were the responsibility of the firm's accountants.

"That's what we paid them for," he said. "I had an obligation to listen to the people with intimate knowledge of those things."

Mr Trump Jr's denials continued during questioning on Thursday. He again claimed that he had no specific knowledge of how the statements or other important business documents were prepared, and that he entrusted his accountants, the Mazars firm, and other employees with the task.

"They have as much, if not more, information and details than I ever would have had," he said.

When asked whether he took any steps to ensure that the information he was signing off on was accurate, Mr Trump Jr said that he did not recall.

While the 45-year old Mr Trump Jr projected confidence and made jokes in court, Eric was far more subdued and had several tense interactions with prosecutors during questioning.

Like his brother, Eric attempted to distance himself from financial documents pertaining to his father and the wider Trump Organization, particularly statements of financial condition.

"I don't believe I ever saw or worked on a statement of financial condition," he said.

Former President Donald Trump is expected to testify in the case early next week. He has previously appeared in court to watch the testimony of his former attorney, Michael Cohen.

He, like his sons, has denied any wrongdoing and earlier this week called Judge Engoron "a disgrace to the legal profession".

Mr Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump - who is no longer listed as a co-defendant in the case - is expected to testify on 8 November.

On Wednesday, however, she appealed against the order to testify. Her attorney has argued that she has not lived or worked in New York since 2017.