Trump's million dollar expert 'lost all credibility,' judge in NY civil fraud trial says

FILE PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Durham, New Hampshire, U.S. December 16, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An expert witness paid nearly $1 million by Donald Trump to testify at his New York civil fraud trial "lost all credibility" by "doggedly" justifying the former U.S. president's business records, the judge overseeing the case said on Monday.

Eli Bartov, a New York University accounting professor, testified on Dec. 7 that he did not see any evidence of fraud in Trump's family real estate company's financial statements, which New York state's attorney general alleges overstated property values in order to win favorable loan and insurance terms.