Trump loses last-ditch attempt to delay New York fraud trial

Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Thursday lost his last-ditch attempt to delay his mammoth fraud trial, as New York Attorney General Letitia James informed the court she plans to put him on the witness stand.

A midlevel state appeals court, in a brief order, lifted a temporary pause of the trial scheduled to start next week in the suit accusing Trump, his sons, Eric and Don Jr., and top executives, including his convicted CFO Allen Weisselberg and Controller Jeffrey McConney of committing rampant fraud in New York's real estate market.

The decision clears the way for the trial to start Monday barring another appeal from Trump in the interim.

"We are ready for trial and look forward to presenting the rest of our case," AG spokeswoman Delaney Kempner said in a statement.

The ruling concerned appeals proceedings Trump brought against James and Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron this month seeking to delay the trial's start in a petition challenging their authority. It didn't include any determinations on Trump's allegations, which it will consider in the coming weeks.

In a stunning ruling by Engoron on Tuesday, the judge found Trump and his co-defendants liable for fraud and ordered the axing of all New York business certificates for entities he and his sons and executives own or control.

Engoron's ruling granted a request by James to rule on her top fraud claim before the non-jury trial started. She has six remaining claims, which seek $250 million in relief, to permanently bar the Trumps from running a New York business, and other forms of relief.

In filings late Wednesday, the attorney general informed the court she plans to put Trump and his adult kids on the witness stand. On his witness list, the former president included himself, too, and 126 other people.