Following the conclusion of his trial and while awaiting a ruling on potential financial liability for defrauding the state, former President Donald Trump expressed his anger towards New York Judge Arthur Engoron through a series of posts on his Truth Social platform. Engoron has already determined that Trump overvalued his business and personal properties in order to obtain more favorable bank loans and insurance rates.
Now, Engoron must decide whether to grant New York Attorney General Letitia James’ request to fine Trump up to $370 million and permanently prohibit him from conducting business in the state, an increase from the initial pretrial amount of $250 million. Trump, along with his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, vehemently denies any wrongdoing and portrays the case as a politically motivated witch hunt orchestrated by James and other Democrats.
He argues that these legal challenges are aimed at impeding his chances of reclaiming the White House, as he remains the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Additionally, Trump is currently facing four other criminal cases.
He wrote in all caps:
IF JUDGE ENGORON IS ALLOWED TO DISREGARD THE COMPLETE APPELLATE DIVISION VICTORY THAT WE HAD IN JUNE, THEN THE RULE OF LAW IN NEW YORK STATE, AND INDEED OUR COUNTRY, WILL NEVER RECOVER. THE JUDGE HAS SO DISRESPECTED THE COURT OF APPEALS, IN THAT HE CONSIDERS THIS BIGGEST OF ALL LEGAL EVENTS TO HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, THAT NEW YORK STATE, AND OUR NATION AS A WHOLE, CANNOT ALLOW THIS TERRIBLE WRONGDOING TO TAKE PLACE. THIS IS LAWLESSNESS BY A JUDGE THE LIKES OF WHICH OUR COUNTRY HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE. A VICTORY IS A VICTORY! LET IT BE. FIGHT VIOLENCE ON N.Y. STREETS, AND STOP THE MASS EXODUS OF OUR PEOPLE, OUR BUSINESSES, & OUR WEALTH OUT OF OUR ONCE GREAT STATE, & INTO OTHER, FAR MORE HOSPITABLE ONES. MAKE NEW YORK STATE GREAT AGAIN!
Newsweek added: “Trump has said his financial statements actually underestimated the value of his properties, and that any overestimations were mistakes that made little difference to the overall picture of his wealth. He argued that disclaimers on the statements insulated him from liability for discrepancies or misstatements.”
The judge presiding over Trump’s $250 million civil fraud trial in Manhattan received a cautionary advice from a prominent legal authority, emphasizing the potential consequences of his conduct towards the former president during the court proceedings.
Attorney Michael Conway slammed Judge Arthur Engoron, citing in a column for MSNBC the trial of the so-called “Chicago 7,” as he reminded the judge “that the defendants in the notorious case went out of their way to antagonize Judge Julius Hoffman, which seems to be Donald Trump’s strategy in a case where Engoron has already found evidence of fraud.”
Conway emphasized that Engoron frequently clashed with both Trump’s legal team and the former president himself during witness testimony. Furthermore, Conway pointed out that Engoron’s use of profanity is expected to be a central issue in any potential appeal.
“In New York, Engoron has used strident language in rejecting Trump’s legal positions, terming them ‘pure sophistry,’ ‘risible,’ ‘bogus arguments,’ and ‘egregious’ in his summary judgment opinion. He sanctioned five Trump attorneys for $7,500 each for the ‘borderline frivolous’ arguments in their briefs,” Conway said in his column.
“Harsh language isn’t a problem if it’s justified. But the more Engoron pushes the envelope, the more he risks an appellate court disagreeing with his assessment. And Trump’s lawyers can and will argue the judge’s rhetoric is evidence of judicial bias,” Conway wrote.
The legal professional further stated that Engoron has exhibited instances of excessive reaction in response to continuous complaints from Trump’s attorneys: “He needs to take all necessary steps to ensure that a New York appellate court cannot overturn his decision. And that means not reacting to Trump’s hate-filled speech or to his lawyers’ baiting and provocation. It’s simply not worth it.”
During his ongoing fraud trial, Trump expressed his frustration with Engoron outside the courtroom, deflecting inquiries about his controversial remarks on being a “dictator” and the recent GOP presidential debate. Throughout the proceedings, Trump has made several appearances and has utilized various occasions to engage with journalists.
On Thursday morning, as he attended court, reporters bombarded him with queries about the candidates’ criticisms during the previous night’s debate and his bold declaration of becoming a “dictator” from the very first day of his presidency. However, Trump had alternative intentions and chose not to address these concerns.
A reporter asked Trump, “What’s your reaction to the governors taking shots at you yesterday? The president did well yesterday. What is your reaction to the governor?”
“Thank you very much. Everybody is. This is a witch hunt, the likes of which probably nobody has ever seen. And you have people being murdered outside all over the streets. They’re being murdered. This violent crime, and this attorney general is crazy. She’s a lunatic. The attorney general. Sincere because she knows that she has a judge in the matter. With all the evidence that you have, that judge is going to rule in their favor. He ruled against me before the case even started. The case had started. He knew nothing, and he ruled against me,” Trump declared.
“The other thing is, this is an oral argument. I’m sure it was what was good for her case. And the value of $18 million when, in fact, it’s worth anywhere from 50 to 100 times that amount. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. But just remember what I said at the beginning. We won at the appellate division, and this judge refuses to honor that victory or that decision for that demand. Thank you very much,” Trump added.
Engoron has previously determined that Trump is culpable of deceiving banks by inflating the value of his properties in order to secure advantageous loans. The ongoing trial aims to evaluate potential compensatory measures, if applicable.
Throughout the proceedings, bank representatives have provided testimonies in support of Trump, asserting that their financial interests remained unscathed throughout their business association.