Donald Trump’s lawyers rested his defense Tuesday and sought anew to immediately end the New York civil fraud trial that threatens the former president’s real estate empire. The judge said “there’s no way I’m going to grant that.”
Trump’s lawyers — thwarted in a similar bid last month — were swatted down as they asked Judge Arthur Engoron to cut the trial short and issue a verdict clearing Trump, his company and top executives of wrongdoing. The judge reiterated his feeling that state lawyers had met their legal burden for seeing the three-month trial through to its conclusion.
New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges Trump duped banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements used in securing loans and make deals. Engoron has already ruled on James’ top claim that Trump committed fraud.
Trump’s lawyers renewed their request for what’s known as a directed verdict a day after Trump, the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, skipped a planned return to the witness stand as the defense’s last big witness.
Yup this probably will happen.
But I don’t necessarily agree with prosecuting someone for inflating their property value to get loans…
If that’s all this is, then I think its a silly trial and a waste of time.
There were real, serious crimes committed by this man and that’s what the courts should be focused on.
Not proud to say it, but, if we start scrutinizing every penny in every account and every bottom line on every loan, then it might deter good people from running for POTUS out of fear of unfairly being prosecuted for minor financial mishaps.