New York Attorney General Letitia James threatened to seize former President Donald Trump’s New York properties if he can’t come up with the money to pay the $354 million civil fraud fine he was handed down last week by a New York judge.
James, who accused Trump of making misleading financial statements to banks to secure better terms on loans, said that she would take over the former president’s assets if he couldn’t come up with the money for the fine. Trump, who is mounting a comeback campaign for the presidency, is planning to appeal the decision that barred him and two of his sons from doing business in New York in addition to the fine.
“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” James told ABC News. “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.”
James was referring to the Trump Building, a 72-story building with 1.3 square million feet of office space on Wall Street right by the New York Stock Exchange.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and claims that the judgment was politically motivated election interference. Alina Habba, Trump’s lawyer, said she expects them to have the decision overturned at the appellate level.
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In his response to the ruling, Trump pointed to statements James made during her campaign for attorney general in which she promised that charges should be brought against him. At one point, she even went as far as to say she would help remove him from office.
“I believe that this president is incompetent,” James said in a video promoting her campaign. “I believe that this president is ill-equipped to serve in the highest office of this land. And I believe that he is an embarrassment to all that we stand for. He should be charged with obstructing justice. I believe that the president of these United States can be indicted for criminal offenses and we would join with law enforcement and other attorneys general across this nation in removing this president from office.”