Letitia J. James, New York’s Attorney General, has begun the process of seizing assets belonging to former President Donald Trump after an astounding civil fraud verdict of more than $450 million. In New York, the case against Trump claimed that he had lied to financial institutions to get better terms on loans.
The lawsuit is part of a larger Democratic lawfare campaign to prevent the former president from winning the upcoming presidential elections. James has laid the foundation for her next attack on the former president since Trump is yet to obtain an appeal bond in the New York decision.
The New York Attorney General’s Office has filed judgments for Westchester County. This is the first sign that the state will try to seize Donald Trump’s golf course, and his private estate, Seven Springs, north of Manhattan.
The Westchester County clerk’s office received the judgments from the state lawyers on March 6, only one week after Judge Arthur Engoron announced his $464-million decision against Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization.
In New York City, where Trump Tower and his properties, including his penthouse in Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street as well as his hotel bordering Central Park and many apartment buildings, are located, the judgment has already been entered.
CNN reviewed records on Thursday and found that no judgments have been entered by Florida counties, including Miami and Palm Beach, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral Golf Club are located, or Cook County in Illinois, where Trump’s hotel is located in Chicago.
Trump attempted to buy some time in February by avoiding the financial penalties. Trump offered to pay a $100m appeal bond instead of the $464m, but the judge rejected the proposal although Trump’s attorneys indicated he would not be able to raise the money by the deadline.
Engoron found that Trump “fraudulently inflated the estate’s worth – sometimes by up to five times appraised value – for years, as a way to obtain more favorable bank loan terms.”
Others, however, pointed out that Trump’s actions were not uncommon for those in the same position and that they are not prosecuted. They also noted that the ex-president did not harm anyone. The refusal to allow Trump to appeal the bond and the decision to not give him any flexibility is intended to put more pressure on Trump as he campaigns for another term.
Jonathan Turley defends President Trump:
“There’s not a single dollar lost by these ‘victims’. In fact, the people that James calls the victims actually wanted to do more business with Donald Trump. They said they made a lot of money.” pic.twitter.com/ac51KJfMC5
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 19, 2024
The saga of this case is not over. The appeals court has yet to decide on the request of the former president to delay or lower the bond amount. James’ intention to seize Trump’s property through the state could make these next few weeks crucial. The political indictments of the former president and this case have only helped to boost his poll numbers. With so many cases, they may hinder Trump’s election campaign.
