Former US President Donald Trump appeared before the judge once again for the closing hearing within the scope of the civil fraud case in which the Trump Organization is accused of declaring excess assets in order to obtain better commercial terms for bank loans and insurance transactions. In a statement before the hearing in New York, Trump called the case an “unconstitutional witch hunt,” “election interference of the highest order” and a “disgrace.”
While Trump’s lawyer, Christoper Kise, argued that Trump should not be punished for allegedly manipulating the value of his properties because lenders and insurers doing business with him were still making a profit, Judge Arthur Engoron disagreed with Kise’s claim. “There is no need to find any evidence of harm to any third party,” Engoron told Kise. Kise said, “This entire case is an allegation created to pursue a political agenda.”
IT MAY TAKE MORE THAN 1 YEAR FOR A DECISION TO BE MADE
Judge Engoron also rejected Trump’s offer to make his own closing argument after he failed to agree to ground rules barring him from giving an “election speech.” Although Judge Engoron will issue his verdict without a jury at a later date, it could take months or more than a year for a final verdict to be issued because Trump is likely to appeal the decision. Trump objected to Judge Engoron’s decision holding him responsible for fraud in September last year.
“OTHER COMPANIES ARE LEAVING NEW YORK”
Making a statement during the break in the hearing, Trump said, “If you decide against me, other companies will leave New York. Other companies will move out of New York because of what happened here. “The attorney general is completely out of control,” he said.
Reiterating that his Attorney General James targeted him for political reasons, Trump claimed that his Attorney General James hated him. Arguing that the banks that gave the loans in the case were extremely happy with this, Trump said, “Anyone who is fair on this issue will see that this is a case that should never have been filed, and I think we should have the right to receive compensation.”
370 MILLION DOLLAR PENALTY REQUEST
New York Attorney General Letitia James claimed that Trump’s company overstated his wealth by $3.6 billion and demanded that Trump and his children be banned from the real estate industry in New York state for life, banned from purchasing commercial real estate for 5 years, and fined $370 million. It does. As part of the case, in addition to Trump, his children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump also testified in court in previous hearings.
