Former President Donald Trump is facing a daunting legal battle and potentially crippling financial penalties in the aftermath of a politically motivated civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The Democrat AG has secured a staggering $454 million judgment against Trump, which she is threatening to collect by seizing his iconic properties like Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago if he doesn’t pay up.
Trump’s lawyers argue that posting an appeal bond for the full judgment amount “is not possible under the circumstances presented.”
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They characterize the ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron as an “unjust, unconstitutional, un-American judgment” resulting from “a political Witch Hunt brought by a corrupt Attorney General.” Trump Campaign Spokesman Steven Cheung slammed the case as one of the “Crooked Joe Biden-directed hoaxes” and vowed that “President Trump will continue fighting and beating” it.
Indeed, the judgment appears to be a blatant abuse of the legal system to target a political opponent.
BREAKING – TRUMP HAS A PROBLEM: Trump tells New York Court he has been unable to obtain the almost $500+ million bond following ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron, files reply Memorandum seeking a stay to prevent NY AG Letitia James from executing judgment against him.
NOTE: It… pic.twitter.com/lcUYaHhalg
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 18, 2024
Forcing a defendant to post a near half-billion dollar bond pending appeal “would be an abuse of the law, contradict bedrock principals of our Republic, and fundamentally undermine the rule of law in New York,” according to Cheung. It sets a dangerous precedent of weaponizing the courts against political adversaries.
James is not even trying to hide the political nature of the case, brazenly stating “I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day” in reference to one of Trump’s properties she may target for seizure.
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She seems to relish the prospect of going after Trump’s assets as retribution.
The $454 million consists of $355 million that the judge claims represent Trump’s “ill-gotten gains,” plus 9% annual interest.
Over half the interest is being charged back to March 2019 when James launched her investigation, resulting in an astonishing $876,502 in additional interest accruing each day during the appeals process. This underscores the excessive and punitive nature of the judgment.
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Last week Kavanagh said those who protested Letitia James will be hunted down..
FDNY has… https://t.co/yERL4H6l0T pic.twitter.com/BvLskI5HpW
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 17, 2024
While asset seizures do sometimes occur to satisfy unpaid civil judgments, applying this remedy so aggressively to a former president over dubious and politically charged allegations of fraud is extraordinarily heavy-handed.
If upheld, it would represent an unprecedented interference in the finances and property rights of a top political figure by their partisan opponents.
As Trump fights to overturn this unjust judgment on appeal, all fair-minded Americans should hope he prevails over this latest attempt by Democrats to harass him through abusive legal proceedings.
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