Jon Stewart, who once pronounced, “The thing about a moral compass is you take it out and check it from time to time. You don’t have to wait for history to show you you’re headed in the wrong direction,” and also mocked Donald Trump over accusations that he inflated the value of his real estate, has been blasted after news broke that he allegedly overvalued his own New York City penthouse by an enormous 829%.
Stewart, 61, said on “The Daily Show” on Monday night, “The attorney general of New York knew that Trump’s property values were inflated because when it came time to pay taxes, Trump undervalued the very same properties. It was all part of a very specific real estate practice known as lying.”
But then it was reported that Stewart allegedly overvalued his New York City penthouse, which he sold in 2014 for $17.5 million.
According to 2013-2014 assessor records obtained by The New York Post, Stewart’s property had an estimated market value of only $1.8 million, and “the actual assessor valuation was even lower, at $847,174,” according to the outlet.
The Post added, “Records also show that Stewart paid significantly lower property taxes, which were calculated based on that assessor valuation price — precisely what he called Trump out for doing in his Monday monologue.”
Did @jonstewart commit fraud when he sold his penthouse for $17.5M?
NY listed its market value at $1.8M an AV at around 800k
Who did he He defraud??
I am SHOCKED
SHOCKED pic.twitter.com/9okis96VQP
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) March 26, 2024
The Post also noted that the New York assessor valuation on Stewart’s penthouse was the same citation method and metric that was utilized by New York Attorney General Letitia James to assess Trump’s private and personal properties.
Stewart vented some more on Monday night, saying:
I don’t know if you know this, but most people just can’t commit fraud and expect to face no repercussions, even if everyone’s doing it. … Try getting a car loan by saying you have 10 times as much money as you really do. Or claim 20 dependents when you have no children. Or say you make slightly less money to qualify for food assistance. I will guarantee you, there are not just financial consequences for those lies, but criminal ones …
But don’t tell that to the investment community, because in their minds, in pursuit of profit, there is no rule that cannot be bent, there is no principle that cannot be undercut, as long as you and your f***ing friends make money.