Donald Trump is waiting for the verdict in his New York civil fraud trial. It could see him pay a penalty of $250 million, not to mention barred from conducting business in New York.
The Judge and the Attorney General
New York Attorney General Letitia James is pursuing the case, a detail controversial to some given her Democratic political leanings. Justice Arthur Engoron is the judge – and he’s hoping to reach a verdict by the end of the month.
Trump on James
On James’ political past, Trump said: “This is an attorney general, Letitia, that went out and campaigned on ‘I will get Trump, I will get Trump no matter what.’ People took tapes of her because they couldn’t believe her ranting and raving like a lunatic. This is the attorney general of New York State and she shouldn’t be allowed to be attorney general. She’s defrauded the public with this trial.”
The Case Itself
Trump and his co-defendants, including sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric, are accused of exaggerating the value of assets in financial statements with the intention of securing more favorable loans. Justice Engoron already found Trump liable for fraud. Regardless, there are other aspects of the case yet to be ruled on.
The Impact on Lenders
Given the fact that there is not an exact figure showcasing Trump’s alleged gains, determining the exact penalty could be difficult. Testimonies in the trial did not focus on the alleged fraud’s negative financial impact on lenders extensively.
Trump Will Likely Appeal
Some following the trial’s updates might find the verdict, whatever it may be, meaningless; Trump will likely appeal it if it’s not on his side. It’s possible that a resolution may not be reached until after the upcoming presidential election.
Trump’s New York Businesses
If Trump appeals, the penalty will likely be paused. This means that even if the initial verdict is against Trump, appealing the decision will buy his New York businesses some time. If he doesn’t appeal the ruling, or if his appeal fails, he’ll undoubtedly still be able to explore other options to get around restrictions.
A Catastrophic Penalty
New York is a very significant place in the business landscape – and not just in the U.S. Losing the ability to conduct business there, if he can’t find a way around it, could be catastrophic for Trump’s real estate empire.
A Civil Trial
The trial spanned 11 weeks and several individuals testified, including Trump and his children. The former President himself, given that it was a civil trial, was only present for eight of the days. During his time there, he heavily criticized Attorney General Letitia James, the judge, and his clerk.
A Limited Gag Order
Due to his behavior, a limited gag issue was ordered. This banned the former President from making comments about court staff. Later, he was fined $15,000 for violating said order twice.
Trump’s Response to the Gag Order
On the limited gag order put in place to protect court staff, Trump wrote on social media: “[Engoron’s] Ridiculous and Unconstitutional Gag Order, not allowing me to defend myself against him and his politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace.”
An Interesting Trial
Trump’s behavior regularly made headlines throughout the trial and undoubtedly made the courtroom a more interesting place than usual. Prior to the final hours of testimony, Justice Engoron said: “In a strange way, I’m gonna miss this trial.”
Trump on Social Media
The former President had a lot to say throughout the trial. On social media, he once wrote: “Got a really Biased, Nasty, Club controlled, but often overturned, Judge, a Racist, Evil, and Corrupt Attorney General, BUT A CASE THAT, ACCORDING TO ALMOST ALL LEGAL SCHOLARS, HAS ZERO MERIT. A dark day for our Country. WITCH HUNT!”
Taunts and Race-Baiting
New York Attorney General Letitia James, around the same time, said she expected Trump to “engage in name-calling and taunts and race-baiting and call this a witch hunt.” She continued: “But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters are the facts and the numbers – and numbers, my friends, don’t lie.”
Transcending Social Media
Trump’s behavior transcended social media and made its way into the courtroom too. According to The Guardian, he said: “The fraud is on behalf of the court! [Engoron] says that I’m a fraud…he’s the one that didn’t value property correctly.”
A Terrible Thing
The former President continued: “How do you do that? How do you rule against somebody and call them a fraud, as the president of the United States who did a great job? It’s a terrible thing you’ve done.”
Justice Arthur Engoron’s Clerk
Trump’s attacks continued throughout the trial. “This judge is a very partisan judge with a person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is,” he said of Justice Arthur Engoron and his clerk.
Monster, Incompetent, Racist
Trump also referred to James as a “monster,” “incompetent,” and “racist.” In response, she said: “Trump’s comments were offensive, they were baseless, they were void of any facts and or any evidence. What they were were comments that, unfortunately, fomented violence and comments that I would describe as race-baiting. Comments, unfortunately, that appeals to the bottom of our humanity.”
The Saga Continues
It’s clear the trial was a turbulent one. Even with Engoron hoping to reach a verdict by the end of the month, Trump will likely appeal and the saga will go on.
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