‘I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day,’ NY Attorney General Letitia James said, referring to Trump Building in Lower Manhattan.
New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed on Tuesday her plan to seize former President Donald Trump’s buildings and assets if he can’t pay the penalty in his civil fraud case.
The former president was recently ordered to pay nearly $355 million and barred from doing business in New York state for three years by state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron.
During an interview with ABC News, Ms. James said that it was “really not my business” if President Trump didn’t have the money to pay the penalty, while also noting that she has her eyes on the Trump Building in Lower Manhattan.
“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek, you know, judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” she said.
“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day,” she added, referring to the Trump Building.
President Trump’s attorneys have vowed to appeal the case; he and his attorneys have described the case as a “political witch hunt” and the verdict as “manifest injustice.”
Throughout the trial, the Trump team has accused Judge Engoron of judicial malpractice, and the president has asserted that he should be the one being awarded damages.
Responding to the Trump camp’s intention to appeal and their sentiment, Ms. James expressed confidence that her office would prevail.
“I cannot be paralyzed by fear. And I cannot allow anyone to bully me into silence. And I cannot allow anyone to have a chilling effect on the work that I do and this office does each and every day,” Ms. James said.
President Trump’s legal team has argued that no fraud occurred and that the state attorney failed to prove intent to defraud. President Trump has said that there were “no victims because the banks made a lot of money.”
In her comments on Tuesday, Ms. James rejected such arguments, reportedly saying that financial fraud is not a victimless crime. The attorney general reportedly said that leveling the playing field is within her wheelhouse and that if the average person can’t inflate their value to bank loans service, then neither should President Trump.
