Trump Reacts to Appeals Court Ruling on Fraud Case
President Donald Trump has criticized New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Ngoron after the appeals court overturned a $364 million penalty against him in a civil fraud case.
In a lengthy post made on social media, Trump declared it a “complete victory” in what he described as a fraudulent case initiated by James.
“I respect the courage of the courts to reject this illegal decision, which was damaging to businesses in New York. This penalty, with interest, was over $550 million. It was a political witch hunt like none before. This was election interference, as cities and states tried to criminalize my perfectly lawful actions. All the monetary penalties were overturned, including those from the most frequently overruled judges in history. Judge Ngoron wasn’t fair during the trial, and while my case was handled unfairly, Letitia James’s role was even worse. She is simply out to damage me politically. This is unprecedented and should never have happened; everyone knows that. It’s worth noting that the decision was unanimous, 5-0. I commend Judge David Friedman’s wise remarks. Thank you to the court for this courageous decision. This will be remembered as one of the worst business persecutions in our nation’s history.”
According to a report from the Associated Press, Wednesday’s verdict found that Ngoron had ruled Trump had overstated his property values. Trump also took aim at Justices Juan Merchant and Luis Kaplan, who presided over separate cases involving business records and E. Jean Carroll, respectively, both of which are appealing.
“Sadly, there are other equally disgraceful cases led by corrupt judges like Juan Merchant, who received millions from the crooked Biden and Harris campaigns. Even the editorial board advised against his actions. Merchant imposed an unprecedented gag order, preventing him and his daughter from communicating or allowing the appeal judge to express his doubts about the case. Lawyers noted a significant conflict of interest involving Merchant’s daughter. Judge Lewis Kaplan also displayed bias during his trials. He focused on publicity and hindered our ability to present key evidence. This Clinton-appointed judge should be held accountable for this entire mess.”
Trump extended his message in a follow-up post, suggesting that these legal issues were orchestrated alongside the campaigns of Biden and Harris.
“These were political trials designed to undermine my candidacy before, during, and after the election. They are closely linked to Biden and Harris’s campaign, marking one of the most corrupt incidents in history. These cases are even more absurd than James’s, and we will see their flaws soon. The judges involved should be ashamed. They acted as political operatives attempting to damage me as a candidate. This is an attack by the Biden/Harris administration on their political adversary: me. Despite the difficulties, I see it as an honor to withstand this and continue striving to be president. I want to thank my son Eric Trump and others in the Trump organization for standing strong for justice. My legal team persevered against harsh odds. This is a significant day for New York City and the state!”
The jury had previously awarded Carroll $83.3 million, which is currently under appeal. Meanwhile, Merchant upheld convictions in a business records case that still remains in the appeals process, though he did not penalize Trump at that time.
