Forbes editor says he testified in Trump criminal investigation

The editor of Forbes magazine recently testified to a grand jury investigating former President Trump’s business practices, confirming details he wrote in a 2015 cover story.

Randall Lane testified for about 20 minutes on Thursday after he was subpoenaed by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., the editor wrote in a story published Friday. Another reporter, Chase Peterson-Withorn, also testified.

Lane wrote that the information he and Peterson-Withorn provided was already public knowledge, and the testimony is an example of “a creeping use of subpoenas to undermine a free press.”

“They set a dangerous precedent: how do we keep an autonomous press when journalists suddenly must testify for or against the subjects they cover?” he wrote.

Lane spoke about Trump’s fixation with his own net worth; Forbes publishes and updates daily a list of the world’s wealthiest people and richest billionaires. Trump is currently No. 1,334 on the list.

The Forbes editor primarily discussed the 2015 article he wrote about Trump attempting to pressure him into raising his value and net worth.

Peterson-Withorn testified about Trump’s attempt to persuade him on the value of his triplex penthouse in Trump Tower. Trump claimed it was worth twice the $100 million value Forbes determined it to be.

The grand jury in New York, working on a case headed by Vance, is investigating the Trump Organization’s finances and business practices, including whether the company inflated the value of his buildings to lenders and deflated them on tax forms.

The grand jury recently heard testimony from a longtime accountant with the Trump Organization.