Donald Trump launched a furious online attack on Letitia James after New York’s attorney general said he now wants the former president fined $370 million plus interest in his state civil fraud case.
In an all-caps post on his Truth Social website, Trump called James “totally corrupt” without providing any supporting evidence, claimed the case “should never have been filed” and wrote that “they should they pay me’.
James, a Democrat, has accused Trump, his grown sons and the Trump Organization of fraudulently overstating their assets to secure more lucrative bank loans and tax deals. The New York attorney general’s lawsuit originally sought $250 million in damages, but in court Friday, James increased that to $370 million, plus interest. She said this reflected new evidence that came to light during the trial. Newsweek reached out to Letitia James’ office for comment by email on Saturday.
Polls show Trump is a clear favorite for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination, although his bid for a second term in the White House could be complicated by a slew of lawsuits, both civil and criminal.
In Friday’s statement, James’ team said the trial had uncovered “an abundance of circumstantial evidence” suggesting Trump had “engaged in an overall pattern of fraudulent conduct.”
The team added: “The countless fraudulent schemes they used to inflate asset values and conceal facts were so outrageous that they belied the innocent explanation.”
In his response to Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I have done nothing wrong, my financial records are great and very conservative, the exact opposite of what the highly political and totally corrupt New York State Attorney General says…now courrput AG [attorney general] wants $370,000,000 as businesses flee New York. They have to pay me. This is a violation of the prosecution – DOJ [Department of Justice] witch hunt!” Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
In addition to the $370 million fine plus interest in Friday’s filing, James’ team called for Trump to be permanently barred from operating in the New York real estate market, along with five-year bans for his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. The lawyers said an independent monitor should be appointed to oversee the Trump Organization for at least the next five years.
Anna Moneymaker/YUKI IWAMURA/AFP/GETTY
In September, Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the case, found Trump, his grown sons, the Trump Organization and a number of business associates liable for civil fraud. The trial, which began a month later, focused primarily on whether Trump violated other New York laws and what punishment he should receive.
Engoron, a Democrat, said he hopes to rule by the end of January. Due to the nature of the lawsuit, Trump faces a non-jury trial.
Since the start of the trial, Engoron has fined Trump a total of $15,000 for twice violating an order he imposed barring the former president from launching social media attacks against court officials, specifically attorney Alison Greenfield. Trump tried to overturn the gag order, claiming it violated his First Amendment rights, but that bid was rejected by a New York appeals court in December.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
