Investing Donald Trump as the next president does not affect his $454 million judgment of civil fraudNew York Attorney General Letitia James said in a letter to the president-elect’s lawyer on Tuesday.
Trump and his grown sons owe about $490 million including interest in their civil fraud case after a judge ruled repeatedly last year. It inflated Trump’s net worth to ensure better loan terms in a decade of business relationships. Trump has appealed the ruling.
Because presidents are not immune from civil suit, James plans to continue to defend the judgment against Trump on appeal of the case, the letter said.
“Ordinary civil litigation burdens do not interfere with the president’s official duties in a way that violates the US Constitution,” New York Deputy Attorney General Judith Vale wrote in a letter to D. John Sauer, Trump’s appellate lawyer and attorney general nominee.
Last month, Sauer asked James to drop the civil suit against Trump to “heal” partisan divisions and improve “the health of our Republic.”
“Following his historic election victory, President Trump has called for an end to our Nation’s partisan infighting, and for competing factions to join forces for the good of the country. This call for unity extends to the legal attacks against him and his family during the last election cycle,” wrote Sauer- ek, referring to the recent firing of the federal Trump. election interference and classified documents the cases
President-elect Donald Trump meets with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace on December 7, 2024 in Paris.
Aurelien Morissard/AP
Vale rejected the request, saying in his letter that he “has no merit that pending an appeal by the defendants himself will interfere with Mr. Trump’s official duties as president.”
Because the New York attorney general’s case is civil, James has no restrictions on pursuing his case as Trump returns to the White House.
“Accordingly, various actions taken by the Special Counsel’s office or the New York County District Attorney’s Office in criminal cases brought against Mr. Trump are irrelevant here,” Vale’s letter said.
A ruling on Trump’s appeal of the ruling could come at any time.
