President Donald Trump has appealed the politically motivated ruling by radical Judge Arthur Engoron in the civil “fraud” case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump’s legal team appealed Engoron’s ruling finding the 45th president liable for more than $350 million in so-called “damages.”
With interest, the total amount Trump is currently on the hook for is just over $354 million.
Post-judgment interest is currently accruing at nearly $112,000 per day.
The case from James, a career Democrat, also targeted the 45th president’s family and the Trump Organization.
Engoron ruled that Trump and the defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud,” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.”
The judge went on to criticize Trump’s behavior during the trial.
Engoron claimed that Trump “rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial.”
“His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility,” the anti-Trump judge wrote.
Trump attorney Christopher Kise teased plans for an appeal when he reacted to the decision earlier this month.
Kise said the court “ignored the law, ignored the facts, and simply signed off on the Attorney General’s manifestly unjust political crusade against the front-running candidate for President of the United States.”
“Legal cases are supposed to be decided based on the application of established legal principles to the actual evidence,” Kise said.
“During 44 days of trial, not one witness, not one complaint, and not one victim supported the Attorney General’s manufactured claims of ‘fraud.’
“Moreover, the evidence established President Trump’s net worth far exceeded what was reported in his financial statements.”
Additionally, James requested that Engoron ban Trump, his sons, and the other defendants from applying for loans in New York for five years.
This was in addition to blocking the Trump Organization from handling any real estate business for the same period.
In September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers, and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.
“He ruled against me without knowing anything about me,” Trump said on the stand during the trial last year.
“He called me a fraud and he didn’t know anything about me.”
