by WorldTribune Staff, February 22, 2024
New York Attorney General Leticia James saw just how much cash Donald Trump had on hand and then pumped up the penalty in the former president’s New York fraud case, Trump attorney Alina Habba said in a Wednesday interview on Fox News.
“Miss James started out asking for $250 million but when she got a glimpse of just how wealthy the Trump organization is because they are a successful business in the state of New York, because they employ thousands of people and pay hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes, she upped that ask,” Habba said.
“Why? Because her goal was to try and hurt the president, hurt his family, his company.”
Habba added that the “appellate record is strong” and James “has no chance” of seeing that cash.
James said she would seize Trump’s prized Manhattan buildings if he isn’t able to pay his civil fraud penalty.
“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 told ABC News in a story published Tuesday.
Trump was hit with a $355 million penalty in a New York civil fraud case last week. Trump has slammed the court’s ruling and is expected to appeal.
To avoid paying the judgment while the appeal is argued, analysts said Trump would have to ask the appeals court to pause Judge Art Engoron’s order. The appeals court would typically require a bond to assure Trump would pay if he loses. But the appeals court could ask for a bond that is a fraction of the judgment because of the lack of victims in the fraud case.
Today, Feb. 22, Engoron rejected a request from the defense to delay the enforcement of the penalties by 30 days to allow for an “orderly post-judgment process.”
“You have failed to explain, much less justify, any basis for a stay,” Engoron wrote in an email posted on Feb. 22 to the court docket. “I am confident that the Appellate Division will protect your appellate rights.”
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