Former President Donald Trump lashed out at a New York court on Tuesday by criticizing the judge, attorney general, and “Corrupt Political Hacks” over penalties in a fraud case he was found guilty of in January.
“The Corrupt Political Hacks in New York, Judge and AG, are asking me to put up massive amounts of money before I am allowed to appeal the ridiculous decision,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “Never done before. No jury, no victim, full disclaimer clause, happy banks. ELECTION INTERFERENCE! WITCH HUNT!”
Trump was fined $464 million with interest for committing “blatant” fraud by “vastly inflating the value of core real estate assets,” like Mar-a-Lago and 40 Wall Street, in loan applications to banks, reported the Financial Times.
Before he can appeal the judgment, reported CNN, he needs to post a multi-million dollar bond. Last month, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered that Trump pay a $355 million penalty for the ill-gotten gains.
But most bond companies won’t write a bond for over $100 million dollars, testified an insurance broker for Trump, and they definitely won’t take collateral in the form of real estate.
That means that to make the bond and appeal the decision, Trump will have to sell his real estate portfolio – which he says is the real agenda behind the New York court case.
“Judge Engoron actually wants me to put up Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for the Right to Appeal his ridiculous decision. In other words, he is trying to take my Appellate Rights away from me when I have already won at the Appellate Division, but he refuses to accept their already made decision,” Trump posted. “Nobody has ever heard of anything like this before. I would be forced to mortgage or sell Great Assets, perhaps at Fire Sale prices, and if and when I win the Appeal, they would be gone. Does that make sense? WITCH HUNT. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!”
Trump also ripped into State Attorney General Letitia James for launching the case against him, calling her “Racist” and “Politically Corrupt” before accusing her of running for office on a “I will get Trump platform.”
“The only FRAUD in the Peekaboo James case, our failed and disgusting New York State Attorney General, was her convincing “Judge” Arthur Engoron to put a value on Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, of just $18,000,000, when it is worth 50 to 100 times that amount,” Trump posted, disputing the valuation of one of his properties at the heart of the case.
Trump further accused Engoron of being “a Crazed, Trump Hating, Rogue Judge” that “has torn apart the Legal System in New York State…”
“Any business thinking about moving into New York State is CRAZY!” the former president added.
Trump’s supporters on the platform, unsurprisingly, backed Trump’s tirade against the judicial system.
“A planned and coordinated attack,” posted @TheExecutioner. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that an order was given to hit him from every angle possible. #ElectionInterference[.]”
Trump is currently the GOP front-runner heading into the 2024 election. Whether his ongoing criminal matters will affect his electability remains to be seen.
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