New York Attorney General Letitia James, fresh off her victory lap in her office’s seemingly successful attack against former President Donald Trump in the civil fraud case, took the opportunity to make more threats against him.
During an appearance on ABC News, James indicated she would take further action against the former president if he did not pay the exorbitant $354 million settlement.
Four days after a judge ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $354 million in his civil fraud case, New York Attorney General Letitia James told ABC News that she is prepared to seize the former president's assets if he is unable to find the cash to cover the fine.
"If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets," James said in an interview with ABC News' Aaron Katersky.
Trump was fined $354.8 million plus approximately $100 million in pre-judgment interest on Friday after Judge Arthur Engoron determined that he inflated his net worth in order get more favorable loan terms.
The former president has denied all wrongdoing and has said he will appeal.
Saying that she was "very confident" with the strength of her case on appeal, James reiterated that her office would not hesitate to seize Trump's assets -- mentioning Trump's 40 Wall Street skyscraper by name -- if the former president is unable to find the cash to cover the court-ordered disgorgement.
"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," James said of the standard court process for collecting judgments in civil cases.
James also insisted that the fact that Trump’s supposed actions did not harm any victims was irrelevant.
"He engaged in this massive amount of fraud. It wasn't just a simple mistake, a slight oversight, the variations are wildly exaggerated, and the extent of the fraud was staggering," James also claimed.
Trump, who is no stranger to legal battles at this point, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and vowed to appeal the court’s decision. However, James’ approach to this case and her remarks about looking forward to seizing the former president’s property suggests that the entire motivation behind the attorney general’s actions were political, similar to the other indictments and lawsuits being levied against him.
The judge’s ruling against Trump has been widely panned as unfair. The settlement was so excessive that Gov. Kathy Hochul, who like James is a Democrat, had to publicly reassure other New York businesses that they would not face the same treatment, which is obvious because there is no political reason to treat other business owners in the same fashion. Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary bashed the decision, noting that “every single developer everywhere on Earth” does the same thing Trump did.
The fallout from the ruling even motivated truck drivers to boycott the city, refusing to transport deliveries there.
The former president might be lucky enough to overturn the ruling on appeal. But the fact remains that Democrats weaponizing the government against their political opposition mean business and will do everything they possibly can to swing the upcoming presidential election in President Joe Biden’s favor.
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