Donald Trump is criticizing a judge’s fraud ruling against the Trump Organization for inflating their net worth (and committing fraud in the process). Trump called the judge a “highly politicized Democrat.”
“It is a terrible reminder that the radical left Democrats will stop at nothing in trying to prevent me, and the American people, from winning the 2024 presidential election,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post yesterday. “Regardless of party, we can not let this happen in the United States of America.”
Trump’s comments were in response to the Justice Arthur Engoron’s decision.
“I am worth much more than the numbers shown on my financial statements. I didn’t even include my most valuable asset, my brand,” Trump wrote. “There were no victims!”
Trump said that he is going to appeal the judge’s decision.
“[The Trump Organization] is a great company that has been slandered and maligned by this politically motivated witch hunt,” Trump wrote. “It is unfair, and I call for help from the highest court in New York State, or the federal system, to intercede. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”
The Fraud Case
The case in question is not targeting Trump as an individual, but rather his company, the Trump Organization. Prosecutors are pressing for $250 million in civil penalties and, more consequentially, to bar Trump and his sons from being able to run a business in the state of New York.
Prosecutors are claiming that the Trump Organization inflated their own net worth valuation for the purpose of securing more favorable loan rates.
“Today’s Ruling about a Company that has done a magnificent job for New York State fails to acknowledge the fact that Murder and all other forms of Violent Crime have reached record levels in New York State,” Trump wrote. “A very sad Day for the New York State System of Justice!”
Trump on Social Media
Trump has been ranting on social media since before he took office, so we should be used to it. But something about a former president unloading online is still uncouth. Beneath the office. Then again, using social media effectively is part of what sets Trump apart from the rest of the field, allowing him to connect with voters, and proliferate his world view. Social media is a free promotional tool that very few people have ever harnessed like Donald Trump.
Still, Trump should probably lay off directly criticizing judges – as is his persistent habit. Ragging on judges is part of Trump’s MO. Unfortunately, Trump’s criticism enhances the idea that the judiciary is politicized. And maybe it’s naïve to think that the judiciary is not politicized. But having a former president out there calling judges as partisan hacks cannot be good for the justice system.
That being said, Trump has legitimate grounds to criticize the way he is personally being prosecuted. Perhaps not in the case at hand, but certainly with respect to some of the criminal cases that are about to come to trial. Like Alvin Bragg’s hush money case for example, also in the State of New York, which seems to be nakedly political.
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor and opinion writer at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
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