On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced her intention to seize the buildings and assets of former President Donald Trump if he fails to pay the penalties in his civil fraud case.
The ex-president was recently instructed by State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron to pay nearly $355 million and forbidden from engaging in business activities in New York state for three years.
In an interview with ABC News, Ms. James stated that it wasn’t her concern if President Trump lacked the funds to pay the penalty. She also mentioned her focus on the Trump Building in Lower Manhattan.
“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek, you know, judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” she said.
“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day,” she added, referring to the Trump Building.
President Trump’s legal team has pledged to appeal the case, denouncing it as a “political witch hunt” and the verdict as a “manifest injustice.”
During the trial, the Trump team has repeatedly accused Judge Engoron of judicial malpractice, with the president asserting that he should be the one awarded damages.
In response to the Trump camp’s plan to appeal and their sentiments, Ms. James expressed confidence that her office would ultimately succeed.
“I cannot be paralyzed by fear. And I cannot allow anyone to bully me into silence. And I cannot allow anyone to have a chilling effect on the work that I do and this office does each and every day,” Ms. James stated.
President Trump’s legal team contends that no fraud took place and asserts that the state attorney failed to establish intent to defraud. President Trump himself has claimed that there were “no victims because the banks made a lot of money.”
In her remarks on Tuesday, Ms. James dismissed these arguments, reportedly stating that financial fraud doesn’t come without victims. The attorney general reportedly emphasized that ensuring fairness is part of her responsibility, and she asserted that if ordinary individuals can’t inflate their financial worth to obtain loans, then President Trump shouldn’t be able to either.
Ms. James filed the lawsuit against President Trump and his co-defendants in 2022. Justice Engoron held President Trump accountable and determined that he exaggerated his assets to secure more favorable loans just weeks before the trial started.
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