Donald Trump rages at judge in flurry of posts

Donald Trump raged at Judge Arthur Engoron in a series of posts on social media on Saturday.

Engoron will decide the verdict in the New York civil fraud case that could see the former president barred from doing business in the state where he built his real estate empire.

Before trial, he ruled in favor of the top claim in the civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding that Trump and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on financial statements that he used to get loans and make deals.

Closing arguments in the trial to decide the remaining claims of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records are set for Thursday. Engoron will also decide on monetary damages.

James is seeking more than $370 million in penalties—up from a pre-trial figure of $250 million.

Trump and other defendants, including his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, deny wrongdoing. The former president, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly blasted the case as a political witch hunt by James and other Democrats, aimed at derailing his chances of winning back the White House. He is also battling four criminal cases.

On Saturday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform several times to denounce Engoron.

Engoron “HAS SO DISRESPECTED THE COURT OF APPEALS, IN THAT HE CONSIDERS THIS BIGGEST OF ALL LEGAL EVENTS TO HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, THAT NEW YORK STATE, AND OUR NATION AS A WHOLE, CANNOT ALLOW THIS TERRIBLE WRONGDOING TO TAKE PLACE,” he wrote in one post.

“THIS IS LAWLESSNESS BY A JUDGE THE LIKES OF WHICH OUR COUNTRY HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE. A VICTORY IS A VICTORY! LET IT BE. FIGHT VIOLENCE ON N.Y. STREETS, AND STOP THE MASS EXODUS OF OUR PEOPLE, OUR BUSINESSES, & OUR WEALTH OUT OF OUR ONCE GREAT STATE, & INTO OTHER, FAR MORE HOSPITABLE ONES. MAKE NEW YORK STATE GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump has said his financial statements actually underestimated the value of his properties, and that any overestimations were mistakes that made little difference to the overall picture of his wealth. He argued that disclaimers on the statements insulated him from liability for discrepancies or misstatements.

He wrote on Truth Social that a “small piece” of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was valued by Engoron at $18 million in the “CORRUPT & RIGGED case against me, when it is worth 50 to 100 times that amount. No jury, No Victim, only profits and success. WITCH HUNT!!!”

In another post, Trump also repeated the claim that Engoron had refused to honor an appeals court ruling that “this Witch Hunt should be dismissed on Statute of Limitations grounds.”

The “whole HOAX should have been ended long before this pathetic excuse for a trial ever started,” he added.

In another post, he wrote that the “Rule of Law in New York State will never recover if this partisan attack is not immediately squashed!”

The Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court did not dismiss the case entirely, but ruled last year that claims against Ivanka Trump were barred under the state’s statute of limitations.

Forbes reported that the court also ruled that the state could not bring claims regarding financial transactions that were completed before 2014 for some defendants bound by a tolling agreement, or before 2016 for other defendants.

Trump also responded to state lawyers increasing the request for penalties, writing on Truth Social: “THE CORRUPT A.G. WANTS $370,000,000 AS BUSINESSES FLEE NEW YORK. THEY SHOULD PAY ME. THIS IS PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT—A DOJ WITCH HUNT!”

Newsweek has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment via email. James’ office has also been contacted for comment via email.