Donald Trump was dealt a sobering dose of reality on Tuesday when the New York Attorney General’s office said there was “no basis” to drop a mammoth civil fraud judgment against the president-elect.
The firm rejection of Trump’s repeated requests to drop the nearly half-billion-dollar judgment came as he has been trying to assert his immunity in other legal cases against him, seemingly emerging victorious in those instances.
But not when it comes to New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose civil fraud suit against Trump led to a jury in February finding that he exaggerated the worth of his business and assets to secure loans and other financial benefits without revealing that he’s not as wealthy as he claims. The punitive damages owed by Trump were initially $464 million, but that figure has since inflated to $497 million because of the interest accrued while he tries to legally maneuver out of paying it.
And, according to the letter from New York Deputy Solicitor General Judith N. Vale responding to a letter from D. John Sauer, an attorney nominated by Trump to be solicitor general, the president-elect is still very much on the hook to pay the bill.
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Vale explained the reason for keeping the judgment as-is was twofold.
Citing legal precedent, Vale shot down claims that the judgment would adversely affect Trump’s presidency, saying they had “no merit” and noting that the “ordinary burdens of civil litigation do not impede the President’s official duties in a way that violates the U.S. Constitution.”
In addition, Vale [argues] that “the overwhelming evidence supports [New York] Supreme Court’s conclusion that Mr. Trump and the other defendants engaged in repeated and persistent fraud and illegality” – a non-negotiable fact that prompted “awarding disgorgement and other equitable relief.”
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