Several high-ranking members of Donald Trump’s former administration recently released a stunning, highly detailed document outlining how they would overhaul the federal government should he be reelected president. The following are the biggest takeaways from the Heritage Foundation’s 922-page political playbook designed to bolster Trump’s power.
Google Announces Everyone’s Got To Chill With These Depressing Inquiries
Immigration through Ticketmaster: By privatizing immigration, it ensures all immigrants pay the service fee, order processing fee, and the occasional surge pricing fees. Dog militia: Every dog will receive a firearm to defend their country from tyrannical oppression. A must-try pesto recipe: Included on page 635 of the manifesto is a step-by-step guide for recreating Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts’ irresistible family pasta sauce. Official designation of the president as “America’s dad”: Project 2025 includes a chart showing the proposed family tree of the country, which would make Donald Trump the dad and all Americans his kids. Replace 30,000 federal employees with Eric Trump: He’ll run the Departments of Energy, Interior, and Labor while the Defense and the Joint Chiefs will be replaced by Tiffany. Mandatory embassy status for every McDonald’s: All franchises would be extraterritorial, sovereign lands of the United States of America, regardless of location. Bring back Gulags: But with a more American sounding name.
Donald Trump began his trial in Manhattan this week in the case regarding his hush money payments to cover up his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, marking the first time a former American president has faced a criminal trial. What do you think?
“Can we go one day without our republic being tested?”
Jim Bevel, Paramedic
Updated Texas Sex Ed Curriculum Instructs Children How To Stone Whores
“What better way to connect with voters than through a jury pool?”
Lester Farooq, Anxiety Specialist
“I feel like the ‘hush money’ didn’t do its job here.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a news story about New York Attorney General Letitia James as he speaks to the media at one of his properties at 40 Wall Street following closing arguments at his civil fraud trial on January 11, 2024 in New York City.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
Donald Trump does not have enough cash to obtain an appeal bond that would prevent New York’s attorney general from seizing his real estate assets to satisfy a $454 million civil fraud judgment, his lawyers indicated in a court filing Monday.
Trump’s lawyers in the filing said it has proved “impossible” for the former president to get a bond that would secure the full judgment he faces while he appeals the verdict ordering him to pay it.
The filing asks a panel of five Manhattan appeals court judges to let Trump avoid having to post a bond while he challenges a judge’s verdict that he, the Trump Organization and other defendants committed business fraud.
If the panel does not approve that request, Attorney General Letitia James could begin a process to seize Trump’s properties on March 25.
James, who had successfully sued Trump in the case, previously said she would take that step if he did not post an appeal bond or pay off the judgment.
The filing in Manhattan Supreme Court’s appellate division says Trump’s team contacted about 30 surety companies but did not find one willing to underwrite the bond.
Trump’s lawyer wrote that obtaining a bond of that size would require “cash reserves approaching $1 billion,” which neither the former president nor the Trump Organization company has.
Under New York court rules, Trump must post an appeal bond to avoid James moving to collect on the fraud judgment.
More news on Donald Trump
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement said, “A bond of this size would be an abuse of the law, contradict bedrock principals of our Republic, and fundamentally undermine the rule of law in New York.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron in February ordered Trump and his co-defendants to pay a total of $464 million in damages and interest for violating a New York anti-fraud statute.
Engoron ruled that Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and the company’s top executives had fraudulently inflated the value of real estate assets for years to boost his net worth and get better loan terms and other financial benefits.
Trump was ordered to pay the lion’s share of the judgment: $454 million. Post-judgment interest on Trump’s share of the damages continues to accrue at a rate of nearly $112,000 a day.
Trump, who has secured the Republican presidential nomination, in a deposition last year claimed to have “substantially in excess of $400 million in cash.”
Despite that, Monday’s nearly 5,000-page court filing by his lawyers detailed his inability to get a bond to secure the full judgment.
The filing includes an affirmation from Gary Giulietti, president of the Northeast division of the Lockton Companies, which he describes as the largest privately held insurance brokerage firm in the world.
Giulietti, who was hired by Trump to help him get a bond, wrote, “Despite scouring the market, we have been unsuccessful in our effort … for the simple reason that obtaining an appeal bond for $464 million is a practical impossibility under the circumstances presented.”
Only a handful of bond surety companies are approved by the Treasury Department to underwrite a bond that large, and many of those firms will only issue a single bond to a maximum of $100 million, Giulietti wrote.
He also said that none of those companies will accept non-liquid assets — such as real estate — as collateral.
“Simply put, a bond of this size is rarely, if ever, seen,” Giulietti wrote. “In the unusual circumstance that a bond of this size is issued, it is provided to the largest public companies in the world, not to individuals or privately held businesses.”
The Trump Organization is privately held.
Giulietti wrote that it would be unattainable for a private company to obtain a bond to secure the $464 million total judgment unless it had around $1 billion in cash or cash equivalents to offer as collateral, while still being able to satisfy its other business obligations.
“While it is my understanding that the Trump Organization is in a strong liquidity position, it does not have $1 billion in cash or cash equivalents,” he wrote.
Trump’s attorneys also noted in the filing that bond issuers often will demand collateral totaling 120% of the judgment, which equates to over $557 million.
Those issuers are also likely to demand a two-year advance on a 2% annual bond premium, which would require the defendants to pay more than $18 million upfront, the lawyers wrote.
The defendants had previously offered to post a $100 million bond to prevent James from collecting on the judgment while Trump appealed Engoron’s verdict.
An appellate division judge rejected that proposal but allowed the defendants to continue doing business in New York and lifted Engoron’s three-year ban on Trump seeking loans in New York. That order is temporarily in effect before a full appeals court panel hears the motion for a stay.
Trump earlier this month obtained a $91.6 million bond from insurance company Chubb to secure a civil defamation judgment against him in favor of writer E. Jean Carroll as he appeals that verdict. According to Monday’s filing, Chubb was one of the companies that Trump contacted in trying to obtain the bond for the business fraud case.
Carroll had successfully sued Trump in federal court for defaming her after she accused him in 2019 of raping her in the mid-1990s in a Manhattan department store.
DETROIT—Drawing ire from the costumed fandom at the item’s price and political implications, former president Donald Trump was reportedly booed Tuesday at a local furry convention while hawking his new $399 Never Surrender Trump Tail. “Folks, this is a tremendous tail, really tremendous—perfect for bringing your fursona to life like never before,” said Trump, who turned to show that he was wearing his own fake fur-based tail while ignoring incensed cries of “He’s a Steve!” and several dog-paw-shaped gloves thrown his way by the increasingly enraged crowd. “Some of you don’t like me. That’s okay. I like you. You’re all fur heads, right? Some fluffies. Some musclefurs. See? I get it. And this tail, my God, this tail is fantastic for murrsuits. Well-made. High-quality design. You get a whole furpile where everyone’s wearing this tail? It’ll have you saying ‘Yiff!’ in no time at all.” At press time, reports confirmed the Never Surrender Trump Tail was being resold on eBay for several thousand dollars above retail price.
A judge’s ruling on Friday in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial deals a severe blow to the former president, who is now barred from running the New York-based company that for decades has served as the hub of his global business empire.
In a 92-page decision, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any corporation or other legal entity in the state for three years, while his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., were banned for two years, according to the ruling.
Trump and The Trump Organization were also ordered to pay penalties of $354 million in what is one of the stiffest corporate sanctions in New York history. The total jumps to $453.5 million when pre-judgment interest is factored in.
Engoron ruled last fall that Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, “repeatedly” violated state fraud law by systemically misrepresenting the value of some of his properties and his overall net worth. That enabled his business to obtain loan rates and other financial terms that they otherwise wouldn’t have received, New York Attorney General Letitia James had claimed in filing suit against Trump.
More specifically, James’ allegations included falsifying business records, issuing false financial statements and insurance fraud. James’ office claimed that Trump’s misrepresentations led to the company collecting $370 million in “ill-gotten gains.”
Friday’s ruling also appoints Judge Barbara Jones to continue in her role as an independent monitor of Trump’s businesses for at least three years. It orders the addition of an independent director of compliance at the Trump Organization, with Engoron ruling that this person will be responsible for “ensuring good financial and accounting practices.”
“[T]he more evidence there is of defendants’ ongoing propensity to engage in fraud, the more need there is for the Court to impose stricter injunctive relief,” Engoron wrote in his verdict. “This is not defendants’ first rodeo.”
It’s possible Trump could appoint a trusted adviser to run his business during the three-year ban, noted John Coffee, a professor at Columbia Law School and an expert on corporate governance and white collar crime.
“I doubt that he can appoint someone else without the court’s approval, but one candidate that he will think of is Ivanka, his daughter, who is not a defendant,” Coffee told CBS MoneyWatch. “When Martha Stewart was barred from serving as a director of her own business, which like Trump had her name on it, she appointed her daughter as CEO for three years.”
Ivanka Trump, once an executive at The Trump Organization, was originally named as a defendant in the fraud suit, but an appellate court later dismissed allegations against her due to the state’s statute of limitations.
Trump: “unAmerican judgment against me”
In a statement, Trump, who is expected to appeal, decried the verdict, calling it “unAmerican” and “a Complete and Total SHAM.”
“There were No Victims, No Damages, No Complaints,” Trump said in his statement. “Only satisfied Banks and Insurance Companies (which made a ton of money), GREAT Financial Statements, that didn’t even include the most valuable Asset – The TRUMP Brand.”
The decision comes just weeks after a federal jury ruled that Trump must pay $83.3 million in damages for defamatory statements he made denying that he sexually assaulted the writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump is also facing numerous additional legal cases.
“These bills are really racking up for Trump,” said CBS News legal analyst Katrina Kaufman shortly before the verdict was announced. James “asked for a lifetime ban on Trump in New York’s real estate industry, which is huge for him. This is where he started as a businessman.”
Trump could see the damages reduced on appeal, Columbia’s Coffee said. But to appeal, Trump would have to post a bond covering the $354 million in penalties, he added.
“That will be costly,” Coffee said. “Some banks will post the bond for him, for a hefty fee, but they will want security that they can liquidate easily, and that may require some sale of some of his assets.”
Trump and his legal team had long expected a defeat, with the former president decrying the case as “rigged” and a “sham” and his lawyers laying the groundwork for an appeal before the judgment was even issued.
In 2023, Engoron found that Trump and his company overstated the valuations of many properties by hundreds of millions. The judge cited the Palm Beach, Florida, real estate assessor’s valuation of his Mar-a-Lago club at as low as $18 million — an amount on which Trump paid local property taxes. At the same time, Trump valued the property at as much as $714 million on his annual statements of financial conditions.
Separately, Trump also faces charges in four criminal proceedings. The first trial, which centers on a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016, is scheduled to begin in Manhattan on March 25. He has pleaded not guilty in all four cases.
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
Former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organizationmust pay $354 million in fines — a total that jumps to $453.5 million when pre-judgment interest is factored in — a judge ruled Friday in their New York civil fraud case. The long-awaited ruling also bars them from seeking loans from financial institutions in New York for a period of three years, and includes a three-year ban on Trump serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation.
Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his judgment in a 92-page decision on Friday. The ruling is one of the largest corporate sanctions in New York history. Trump has vowed to appeal.
The judge’s ruling also blocks Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, and Jeffrey McConney, former corporate controller, from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in the state for three years, and permanently bans them from serving in the “financial control function” of any New York corporation.
“The evidence is overwhelming that Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney cannot be entrusted with controlling the finances of any business,” Engoron’s order states.
In addition to imposing limits on Trump’s business activities, the order bans his two oldest sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or legal entity for two years.
The two, who serve as executive vice presidents at the Trump Organization, must also pay more than $4 million apiece, including interest. Weisselberg is ordered to pay a $1 million penalty.
Speaking outside Mar-a-Lago after the ruling, Trump called the judge “crooked” and insisted the case was a “witch hunt.”
“We will get back to work. It’s a ridiculous award — a fine of $355 million for doing a perfect job,” Trump said.
“Complete lack of contrition”
Engoron issued a scathing rebuke of Trump, his two adult sons, Weisselberg and McConney in his decision, writing that they refused to admit error even after four years of investigation and litigation.
“Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological,” he wrote. “They are accused only of inflating asset values to make more money. The documents prove this over and over again.”
The judge determined that Trump, top officials at the Trump Organization, and his companies submitted “blatantly false financial data” to accountants in order to borrow more money at more favorable interest rates.
“When confronted at trial with the statements, defendants’ fact and expert witnesses simply denied reality, and defendants failed to accept responsibility or to impose internal controls to prevent future recurrences,” Engoron wrote.
He said the frauds in the case “leap off the page and shock the conscience.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James cheered the decision as a victory for the state, the country and those who believe in an even playing field.
“There simply cannot be different rules for different people,” she said in a statement. “Now, Donald Trump is finally facing accountability for his lying, cheating, and staggering fraud. Because no matter how big, rich, or powerful you think you are, no one is above the law.”
Alina Habba, one of Trump’s attorneys who also serves as his spokeswoman, denounced the decision and confirmed the former president will appeal Engoron’s judgment.
“This verdict is a manifest injustice — plain and simple. It is the culmination of a multi-year, politically fueled witch hunt that was designed to ‘take down Donald Trump,’ before Letitia James ever stepped foot into the Attorney General’s office,” she said in a statement. “Countless hours of testimony proved that there was no wrongdoing, no crime, and no victim.”
She continued: “Let me make one thing perfectly clear: this is not just about Donald Trump — if this decision stands, it will serve as a signal to every single American that New York is no longer open for business.”
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization also defended the company’s financial dealings, calling the ruling a “gross miscarriage of justice.”
“If the Attorney General is permitted to retroactively insert herself into private commercial transactions between sophisticated parties, no business transaction entered into in the State of New York will be beyond the attorney general’s purview,” the spokesperson said. “Every member of the New York business community, no matter the industry, should be gravely concerned with this gross overreach and brazen attempt by the attorney general to exert limitless power where no private or public harm has been established.”
James brought the civil suit in 2022, asking the judge to bar Trump from doing business in the state and seeking a penalty of $250 million, a figure her office increased to $370 million by the end of the trial.
Trump and his legal team long expected a defeat, with the former president decrying the case as “rigged” and a “sham” and his lawyers laying the groundwork for an appeal before the judgment was even issued.
Even before Friday’sruling, the judge had largely affirmed James’ allegations that Trump and others at his company inflated valuations of his properties by hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of a decade, and misrepresented his wealth by billions. The scheme, the state said, was meant to trick banks and insurers into offering more favorable deal terms.
Engoron ruled in September that Trump and the other defendants were liable for fraud, based on the evidence presented through pretrial filings.
The trial, which began in October and wrapped up in January, focused on other aspects of the lawsuit related to alleged falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy.
The financialpenalty James sought, known as disgorgement, is meant to claw back the amount Trump and his company benefited from the scheme. (Under New York law, disgorgement cases are decided by a judge, not a jury.)
Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter and once an executive at the Trump Organization, was originally named as a defendant in the suit, but an appellate court later dismissed allegations against her, citing the state’s statute of limitations.
What were the Trumps accused of?
The lawsuit laid out seven causes of actions — the claims of illegal conduct that James’ office said entitled the state to claw back ill-gotten profits and warranted severe sanctions against the defendants:
Persistent and Repeated Fraud
Falsifying Business Records
Conspiracy to Falsify Business Records
Issuing False Financial Statements
Conspiracy to Falsify False Financial Statements
Insurance Fraud
Conspiracy to Commit Insurance Fraud
The claims revolve around financial statements given by Trump and his company to banks and insurers. The statements were prepared by accounting firms using spreadsheets of underlying data that included vast inflations of Trump property valuations.
The defendants lost on the first claim, persistent and repeated fraud, before the trial even started.
While Trump can appeal, the judgment will take a toll on his finances in the process.
“Trump may have a shot at reducing the damages on appeal, but to appeal he has to post an appeal bond of $350 million in this case and $83 million in E. Jean Carroll’s case. That will be costly,” John Coffee, a Columbia University law professor and an expert on corporate governance and white collar crime, told CBS News.
The Sept. 26 fraud ruling
Engoron agreed in September with James’ office that it was beyond dispute, based on evidence presented through pretrial filings, that Trump and his company provided banks with financial statements that misrepresented his wealth by billions.
“The documents here clearly contain fraudulent valuations that defendants used in business,” Engoron wrote in the Sept. 26 ruling.
Engoron found as fact in that ruling that Trump and the company overstated the valuations of many properties by hundreds of millions of dollars. He cited the Palm Beach Assessor valuation of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club at between $18 million and $28 million for each year between 2011 and 2021 — the values for which he paid local property taxes. During those years, Trump valued the property at between $328 million and $714 million on his annual statements of financial conditions.
Trump seized on the Mar-a-Lago valuation, complaining about it frequently during public appearances, in social media posts, and in his own defense at trial.
Trump’s testimony at the trial
Donald Trump and three of his children testified during the trial, which began on Oct. 2 and ran for more than three months.
Ivanka Trump and her brothers said they couldn’t recall many of the interactions at the center of the case, including deliberations related to efforts to secure financing and insurance for Trump property developments. Eric and Donald Trump Jr. both sought to pin blame on the company’s accountants, claiming they had little involvement in the preparation of financial statements that misrepresented the values of company properties.
But Engoron determined that there was “sufficient evidence” that Eric and Donald Trump Jr. “intentionally falsified business records.” He found that Eric Trump “intentionally” gave McConney “knowingly false and inflated valuations” for the Seven Springs estate, a Trump-owned property in Westchester County, New York.
The former president took the stand on Nov. 6, stopping to address the media on his way into court. “It’s a very sad situation for our country,” he said.
Under oath, he gave long-winded answers, seeming to test the judge’s patience. At one point Engoron addressed Trump’s lawyers, saying, “We got another speech,” and urging them to “control him if you can.”
As questioning continued, Trump defended the valuations of various Trump Organization properties said the company’s statements of financial condition included a disclaimer that absolved him of responsibility for inaccuracies.
Engoron’s order criticized Trump for failing to answer many questions, which the judge said damaged his credibility.
“Overall, Donald 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.”
Lawyers for the Trumps argued that the financial statements were accurate and well done, and also that valuations are subjective. They said that documents James’ lawyers called evidence of fraud were actually evidence of Trump’s “genius.” Any misrepresentations or breaks with accepted accounting practices were his accountants fault, they said.
The former president himself also blamed his accountants, but maintained that his financial statements actually undervalued his properties and net worth.
“I’m worth more than the numbers in the statement,” Trump said.
–CBS News’ Jake Rosen and Aimee Picchi contributed reporting.
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
The judge overseeing the civil fraud case in New York against former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization has issued his long-awaited ruling, five weeks after the trial in the case concluded.
Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump and his company to pay $354 million in fines — a total that jumps to $453.5 million when pre-judgment interest is factored in. It also bars them from seeking loans from financial institutions in New York for a period of three years, and includes a three-year ban on Trump serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation.
Additional penalties were ordered for Trump’s sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who are executives at the company, and two former executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney.
Judge Engoron had already ruled in September that Trump and the other defendants were liable for fraud, based on the evidence presented through pretrial filings.
The judge had largely affirmed James’ allegations that Trump and others at his company had inflated valuations of his properties by hundreds of millions of dollars over a the course of a decade and misrepresented his wealth by billions in a scheme, the state said, intended to trick banks and insurers into offering more favorable deal terms.
Trump and his legal team long expected a defeat, with the former president decrying the case as “rigged” and a “sham” and his lawyers laying the groundwork for an appeal before the decision was even issued. He is expected to appeal.
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
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A federal appeals court ruled that former President Donald Trump is not immune from prosecution for his actions while in the White House and in the leadup to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the decision serving as a definitive rejection of Trump’s previous claims that he could not be tried. What do you think?
“Convicting Trump risks angering his otherwise pleasant base.”
Bryson Cuz, Paternity Expert
This Week’s Most Viral News: June 30, 2023
“Funny how crime is illegal when a conservative does it.”
Brodie Delarosa, Systems analyst
“This makes becoming president almost seem not even worth it.”
PALM BEACH, FL—Terrified by the prospect that the former president could go away forever if he didn’t pay, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. reportedly helped their father raise $83.3 million Monday by asking their dad for money. “Wait, I know where we can get some cash—we can ask Dad!” said Donald Jr., the oldest of the Trump boys, whose face immediately lit up with excitement as he grabbed his brother’s hands and explained that the solution to all of his father’s legal and financial woes was just right down the hall. “Dad probably has tons of money! He wears suits all of the time. Once, he even gave me 20 whole dollars on my birthday! He’s a really important man. I know he’ll give us the money—we just have to promise to be extra good and eat all our meat for a week.” At press time, the Trump boys had only $83,299,975 to go after checking their father’s wallet.
NYPD Arrests Trump After Routine Stop-And-Frisk Turns Up Unlicensed Handgun, 400 Mg Of Ketamine
Former President Donald Trump was supposed to testify again at his New York civil fraud trial on Monday, but he made a surprise announcement Sunday that he would not be appearing.
Trump has already testified once in the trial, repeatedly barreling past questions from the New York attorney general’s office to instead attack the judge overseeing his case and the attorney general’s $250 million lawsuit against him.
The questions on Monday would have been friendlier to the former president, as he had been scheduled to testify under questioning from his own attorneys in an effort to bolster his defense against allegations he fraudulently inflated the value of his properties.
Trump’s about-face on his testimony comes as he has relentlessly attacked the civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is seeking $250 million in damages and to bar the former president from doing business in the state.
Trump has also attacked the judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, and Engoron’s principal law clerk leading to a gag order barring talk about the clerk. The former president’s lawyers are appealing the order.
“President Trump has already testified,” Trump attorney Chris Kise said in a statement Sunday following Trump’s announcement on his social media platform that he would not testify. “There is really nothing more to say to a Judge who has imposed an unconstitutional gag order and thus far appears to have ignored President Trump’s testimony and that of everyone else involved in the complex financial transactions at issue in the case.”
While Trump is not facing criminal charges in this case, the allegations against his business are personal for the former president, and he’s spent several days attending the trial outside of his testimony.
The civil trial is a preview of what could play out next year as Trump runs for president at the same time one or more of his four criminal trials are ongoing.
Here’s what to know about Trump’s trial and his decision not to testify:
Trial and campaign trail converge
Trump attended the civil trial Thursday to hear the testimony of New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, an expert witness for his defense.
Trump didn’t have to be there – Bartov is one of several expert witnesses his lawyers have called during their defense – but his presence increased the attention on the trial testimony and gave the former president the chance to speak to television cameras just outside the courtroom at every break.
“We’ve proven this is just a witch hunt,” Trump said at one point. “It cannot be more conclusive.”
Trump also complained that he was in New York instead of one of the early swing states for his 2024 campaign, even though he was attending voluntarily.
“I should be right now in Iowa, in New Hampshire, in South Carolina. I shouldn’t be sitting in a courthouse,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments showed how he took the opportunity to attack the trial for interfering with his presidential bid, but the reality is that the two have effectively converged – Trump’s trials have become part of his pitch to his base, arguing that his own legal peril is a key reason voters should return him to the White House.
Judge has ruled Trump liable for fraud
James alleges that Trump and his co-defendants – including his two adult sons, the Trump Organization and several company executives – committed fraud in inflating assets on financial statements to get better terms on commercial real estate loans and insurance policies.
Engoron already ruled before the trial began last month that Trump and his co-defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated” fraud. Now the judge is considering how much the Trumps will have to pay in damages for the profits they’ve allegedly garnered through fraudulent business practices.
An expert witness for the attorney general testified last month that the ill-gotten gains totaled $168 million, though a defense witness disputed that analysis.
The attorney general’s office is also looking to prove six other claims: falsifying business records, conspiracy to falsify business records, issuing false financial statements, conspiracy to falsify financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
The trial has played out over the past two months with an appeal looming, as Trump’s lawyers have already appealed Engoron’s initial decision. Engoron’s ruling in the rest of the case – which is a bench trial, meaning there is no jury – is also sure to be appealed if it goes against Trump.
While there are no criminal charges in the case, its outcome has serious implications for the former president, as the attorney general is seeking to bar Trump from conducting business in New York.
Engoron’s summary judgment ruling canceled Trump’s business certificates, though that has been placed on hold while it’s appealed.
A New York appeals court last week agreed to stop the cancellation of Trump’s business certificates until after the civil fraud trial and any appeals are completed – a continuation of an earlier ruling by a single appeals court judge at the start of the trial.
Trump brand under scrutiny
Trump’s attorneys have argued the former president’s statements of financial condition were not fraudulent, and that Deutsche Bank, which loaned Trump money for several properties, conducted its own analysis and didn’t rely on the statements anyway.
The defense lawyers have called expert witnesses to testify there was not fraud and that Deutsche Bank would not have acted differently had Trump’s net worth been lower than what he reported at the time of the transactions.
They’ve also argued that valuations are subjective, that differences in valuations are common and that Trump’s net worth is higher than what was listed in his statements because it didn’t take into account the value of his brand.
Had he testified Monday, Trump would likely have amplified those arguments about his brand and net worth, based on his prior testimony. When he wasn’t attacking the trial, Trump was boasting about his properties and golf courses.
He claimed Mar-a-Lago was worth more than $1 billion, and that his golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland, was “the greatest golf course ever built.”
When Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., testified, the defense lawyers walked through a sleek PR presentation touting the Trump Organization, in what could be a sign of how they plan to approach the former president’s testimony, too.
Tensions between Trump and the judge
Trump’s earlier testimony – in which he attacked the attorney general, the judge and the entire trial with bombastic rhetoric – repeatedly exasperated Engoron, who at one point threatened to have Trump removed as a witness.
“This is a political witch hunt and I think she should be ashamed of herself,” Trump said of James at one point in his testimony.
“It’s a terrible thing you’ve done,” he said at another point to the judge.
Had he testified Monday, Trump could have taken the chance on the stand to level the same attacks he’s been making in comments outside court or on his social media – just as he did in his lengthy, all-caps statement on Truth Social Sunday when he wouldn’t testify.
Trump is also operating under a gag order, which Engoron put in place after the former president attacked his law clerk, Allison Greenfield, on social media, posting a picture of her with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat.
Engoron has fined Trump twice for violating the order, including $10,000 for comments he made outside of court during former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s testimony. That resulted in an extraordinary scene in which the judge called Trump to the stand to answer questions about whether he was referring to Greenfield or Cohen when he complained about the “person who is very partisan sitting alongside” the judge.
Enrogon said Trump’s claims that he was referring to Cohen were “not credible” as he levied his fine. Trump’s attorneys have appealed.
Last week, Trump attorney Alina Habba said Trump was testifying despite her advice not to because the gag order is in place.
“He still wants to take the stand even though my advice is at this point you should never take the stand with a gag order. But he is so firmly against what is happening in this court,” Habba said Thursday.
This story has been updated to reflect that Trump said Sunday he would not be testifying in his civil fraud trial on Monday as previously expected.
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A New York judge on Friday denied a request by former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants for a mistrial in the $250 million civil business fraud case against them.
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron said the arguments for a mistrial were “utterly without merit” as he declined to sign the defendants’ bid for a motion to throw out the case.
The ruling came two days after attorneys for Trump Sr., Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, the Trump Organization and its top executives argued that the case had been undermined by political bias.
The defense lawyers claimed that Engoron and his principal law clerk have “tainted these proceedings” and that “only the grant of a mistrial can salvage what is left of the rule of law.”
But Engoron in Friday’s ruling disputed each allegation of bias, and made clear that he intends to preside over the case until its conclusion.
“As expected, today the Court refused to take responsibility for its failure to preside over this case in an impartial and unbiased manner,” Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said in a statement. “We, however, remain undeterred and will continue to fight for our clients’ right to a fair trial.”
The lawsuit, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the defendants of fraudulently inflating the values of Trump’s real estate properties and other assets for years in order to obtain tax benefits, better loan terms and other financial perks.
In addition to seeking $250 million in damages, James wants to permanently bar Trump and his two adult sons from running a New York business.
Engoron has already found the defendants liable for fraud and ordered the cancellation of their New York business certificates. The trial, which is being conducted without a jury, will determine penalties and resolve James’ other claims of wrongdoing by Trump and his co-defendants.
An appeals court has temporarily paused the process of dissolving Trump’s business entities.
In Friday’s ruling, Engoron went through all of the defendants’ arguments for a mistrial and explained why each was “without merit.”
The defense lawyers had pointed to articles that Engoron had linked to in his alumni newsletter, claiming they created an appearance of impropriety because they were related to the fraud case.
Engoron responded that he “neither wrote nor contributed to any of the articles on which defendants focus, and no reasonable reader could possibly think otherwise.”
He also shrugged off claims that he and his clerk are “co-judging,” writing, “my rulings are mine, and mine alone.”
The clerk has become such a target of criticism that Engoron has imposed gag orders barring both Trump and his lawyers from making comments about her. Trump has already violated the narrow gag order twice, receiving a total of $15,000 in fines.
A New York appeals judge on Thursday temporarily suspended those gag orders, citing the “constitutional and statutory rights at issue.”
In their bid for a mistrial, the defense lawyers had also that the clerk’s presence in the case damages its integrity because of contributions she made to Democratic groups, including some that are supporting the attorney general.
They had also accused the clerk of making contributions over the $500 limit that applies to members of a New York judge’s staff.
But Engoron said Trump’s lawyers were ignoring that the clerk is a candidate for judicial office, and therefore is not bound by the $500 limit when contributing to her own campaign or buying tickets to political functions.
Engoron said it was “nonsensical” to assume that the clerk’s attendance at events sponsored by political organizations suggests that she, and by proxy the judge himself, must therefore agree with the views of those groups.
“And in any event, they are a red herring, as my Principal Law Clerk does not make rulings or issue orders — I do,” Engoron wrote.
He noted that the attorney general’s office has called for a full briefing schedule on the mistrial motion. But “in good conscience, I cannot sign a proposed order to show cause that is utterly without merit, and upon which subsequent briefing would therefore be futile.”
The trial, which began last month, is expected to last until late December. Trump, a leading Republican presidential candidate, faces four pending criminal cases in addition to the fraud case and other civil matters.
An appellate judge in New York has temporarily lifted a gag order on former President Donald Trump and his attorney in his ongoing civil fraud trial.
“Considering the constitutional and statutory rights at issue an interim stay is granted,” wrote Associate Justice David Friedman, of New York state’s intermediate appeals court.
He issued the stay in response to a request filed by Trump’s legal team earlier this week that argued the gag order violated his First-Amendment — as well as the state’s — freedom-of-speech rights.
The gag order on the former president was imposed by Judge Arthur Engoron after a derogatory post appeared on Trump’s Truth Social platform. He has fined Trump twice since then for violations, most recently for $10,000 after he made a remark outside the courtroom that Engoron concluded was made in reference to the judge’s principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield.
Friedman’s order also grants temporary relief to Trump’s attorneys, who have also been prohibited by Judge Engoron from discussing his communications with his staff.
In a written order, Engoron wrote that Trump’s attorneys have made “repeated, inappropriate remarks about my Principal Law Clerk, falsely accusing her of bias against them and of improperly influencing” the trial.
“Defendants’ attorneys have made long speeches alleging that it is improper for a judge to consult with a law clerk during ongoing proceedings, and that the passing of notes from a judge to a law clerk, or vice-versa, constitutes an improper ‘appearance of impropriety’ in this case,” he wrote. “These arguments have no basis.”
On Wednesday, attorneys for Trump requested a mistrial be declared in the case, claiming the judge and his clerk have subjected the defendants to “tangible and overwhelming” bias and unfair treatment.
The motion for a mistrial makes good on a promise Trump’s attorneys made to file it the day he testified in the case on Nov. 6. The announcement capped off an intense day of examination in which Trump — who has frequently criticized Engoron and Greenfield — even lashed out at the judge on the witness stand, pointing at him and calling him a “fraud.”
Engoron is overseeing the case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump, his two oldest sons, the Trump Organization and several executives in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. James’ office alleges the defendants orchestrated a decade-long fraud scheme to inflate the value of the company’s properties and Trump’s personal wealth. Engoron has already found the Trumps and their company liable for business fraud.
The trial, which is related to other allegations in the suit, is currently in its seventh week. All defendants have denied wrongdoing.
Clare Hymes is an associate producer for the investigative unit at CBS News. She previously reported from the Justice Department and was an associate producer for the “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell.”
President Donald Trump took the witness stand this week to defend himself in a civil fraud trial brought by the New York state attorney general’s office. The Onion offers a blow-by-blow account and the biggest takeaways of Trump’s civil fraud testimony.
Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen testified at Trump’s civil fraud trial Tuesday. Cohen worked for the former president for several years and said Trump told him to inflate his net worth and property values. CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa has more.
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A New York appeals court denied former President Donald Trump’s request to halt proceedings as the second week of his fraud trial gets underway. CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa reports on what to expect this week in court.
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The judge overseeing the civil trial of former President Donald Trump in New York issued a gag order barring those involved in the case from posting information about his staff. Trump is facing allegations he and his company falsified business and personal records for financial gain. CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa reports.
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Former President Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday as the trial in his civil fraud case got underway. CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa reports.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the trial of himself, his adult sons, the Trump Organization and others in a civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James, at a Manhattan courthouse, in New York City, U.S., October 2, 2023.
Seth Wenig | Reuters
The $250 million civil fraud trial that could see former President Donald Trump permanently banned from doing business in New York began Monday.
The trial comes a year after New York Attorney General Letitia James sued him, his company, three of his adult children, and top Trump Organization officials.
James alleged the defendants misstated the values of real estate properties by billions of dollars in business records to obtain better loan and insurance terms, and tax benefits.
Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, arrived at Manhattan Supreme Court for the start of the trial.
Before it began, Trump claimed the case was a “witch hunt” aimed at undermining his presidential campaign.
“Everything was perfect. There was no crime. The crime is against me,” Trump told reporters in the hallway outside the courtroom.
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James notched a massive win against Trump and other defendants last week when Judge Arthur Engoron ruled they were liable for the fraud claims. Engoron in that ruling canceled the defendants’ New York business certificates and ordered an independent receiver to oversee their dissolution.
Engoron, not a jury, will decide whether the defendants are liable for the other six claims at the trial, which is expected to conclude in late December.
“The people have already proven” that Trump’s financial statements from 2011 to 2021 were “false and misleading,” said Kevin Wallace, a prosecutor from the attorney general’s office, in his opening statement to the judge.
Wallace played video clips of depositions from key witnesses, including Trump, former Trump Org Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg and former personal attorney Michael Cohen.
In one clip, Cohen said that he and Weisselberg would inflate the value of real estate assets in order to reach the figure that Trump wanted in order to help him climb higher on Forbes’ wealth rankings.
Wallace argued while a person may exaggerate their wealth for Forbes Magazine or television audiences, they “cannot do it while conducting business in the State of New York.”
But defense attorney Christopher Kise said the evidence will show that “there was no intent to defraud.”
The loans that Trump’s business secured were “successful” and “profitable,” Kise said.
“The banks made well over a hundred million dollars,” Kise added.
A box is carried as the civil fraud trial of former President Donald Trump is set to begin at New York State Supreme Court on October 02, 2023 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
James, who is also in court, in a statement said, “For years, Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth to enrich himself and cheat the system.”
“We won the foundation of our case last week and proved that his purported net worth has long been rooted in incredible fraud,” James said. “No matter how rich or powerful you are, there are not two sets of laws for people in this country. The rule of law must apply equally to everyone, and it is my responsibility to make sure that it does.”
Ivanka Trump was removed from the case in June, after an appeals court ruled that the claims against her were barred by the statute of limitations. But two of Trump’s other children, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who took over the family business after their father became president in 2016, remain as defendants.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
Former President Donald Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James have for years been on a collision course, and it is about to play out in a courtroom in lower Manhattan.
Trump has long volleyed insults at James while her office investigated him and his company — an investigation that ultimately led to her filing a $250 million civil lawsuit accusing Trump and others at the Trump Organization of widespread fraud. The trial stemming from that suit is scheduled to begin Monday.
Here’s what to know about the case.
Who are the defendants in the case?
Trump, three of his children — Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump — several other company executives and the Trump Organization itself were sued in September 2022 by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Her office accused them of perpetrating years of fraud, and vastly overrepresenting both Trump’s wealth and the values of many of his properties on financial statements.
This summer, a New York appeals court dismissed allegations related to Ivanka Trump, ruling that they involved contracts from too long ago. The court did not dismiss the allegations against the company, Trump, Donald Trump Jr., or Eric Trump, allowing the claims against them to go to trial.
What are the allegations?
The Trumps and their company are accused of fraud, falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements and conspiracy, among other allegations. The attorney general has accused Trump of overstating his wealth by billions of dollars, and the value of many properties by hundreds of millions, while seeking loans. He has denied wrongdoing.
Because this is a civil lawsuit, not a criminal case, there is no possibility of jail time.
Separately, Trump is facing criminal charges in a case filed in April by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleging 34 counts of felony falsification of business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
An earlier criminal tax fraud case against the Trump Organization ended with a guilty verdict last December and a plea deal by the company’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Trump was not personally charged in that case.
Will Trump attend the trial?
Trump expects to attend at least the first day of the civil trial, sources with knowledge of Trump’s plan say.
Trump’s intention was first revealed in a court filing related to a separate case: Trump’s lawsuit against his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. The judge in that case noted that Trump had asked to postpone a scheduled Oct. 3 deposition because it would conflict with his plans to attend the first week of this trial.
Who is the judge?
The judge presiding over this case is Arthur Engoron, who was first appointed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the New York Supreme Court, 1st Judicial District, in 2013, after previously serving as a judge on New York City’s civil court. A Democrat, he ran unopposed for the position in 2015, and is serving a 14-year term.
In April 2022, Engoron held Trump in contempt for refusing to turn over documents James had subpoenaed, and imposed a fine of $10,000 a day. He also repeatedly rejected attempts by Trump’s attorneys to delay the trial date.
The upcoming proceedings are a bench trial, meaning there is no jury and Engoron will ultimately decide if the defendants are liable, as well as any damages and additional penalties.
How long will the trial be?
The judge asked the attorneys involved to clear their calendars through Dec. 22. However, the trial may not last that long.
Will Trump testify?
He might. Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump are all on preliminary witness lists submitted to the court on Sept. 27. That does not guarantee they will be called to testify.
Will the trial be televised or livestreamed?
New York state law does not normally allow cameras in the courtroom for most proceedings, but news media organizations have asked the judge to allow coverage of opening statements in this case and are awaiting a decision..
Didn’t the judge just rule on these fraud allegations?
Ahead of the trial, on Sept. 26, Judge Engoron issued a ruling finding that Trump overvalued the properties by hundreds of millions of dollars — and misrepresented his own worth by billions — while pursuing bank loans. Engoron’s ruling was in response to a motion by James’ office asking him to rule on certain allegations before the trial, which will now focus on other allegations in the lawsuit related to falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy.
Engoron’s ruling ordered the cancellation of Trump Organization business certificates and for an independent receiver to dissolve some of Trump’s companies.
What has Trump said?
On his social media site, Trump has called Engoron a “political hack” and a “deranged, Trump hating judge.” He has for years maligned James and the investigation, accusing her of pursuing him for political gain.
Trump even sued James in December 2021 in an effort to halt her investigation before its conclusion. On a phone call with CBS News at the time, he called James’ investigation “unconstitutional” and himself an “aggrieved and innocent party.” The lawsuit was later dismissed.
Who is Letitia James?
Letitia James, a Democrat, has won election twice as New York attorney general. She took office on Jan. 1, 2019. Before that, she served as New York City public advocate and spent almost a decade as a member of the city council.
James has a history of taking on powerful political figures. An August 2021 report compiled by independent investigators working for her office alleged a pattern of sexual harassment by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo and led to his resignation.
Her investigation in this case began in 2019 after Trump’s former attorney and “fixer,” Michael Cohen, gave congressional testimony in which he said Trump routinely lied about his wealth on loan, insurance and tax documents.
What has James said about the fraud case?
“Claiming that you have money that you do not have does not amount to the art of the deal, it’s the art of the steal,” James said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit in Sept. 2022.
What has Trump’s legal team said?
Trump attorney Christopher Kise has argued that what the attorney general calls overvaluations are actually examples of Trump’s “genius,” arguing in court that Trump is “a master at finding value where others see nothing.”
What has Judge Engoron said?
Engroron has not spoken publicly about the case, but he was unsparing in his pretrial fraud ruling. In the ruling, which rejected Kise’s argument, he decried the “defendants’ obstreperous conduct” and “their continued reliance on bogus arguments,” writing that some of their arguments represented “a fantasy world, not the real world.”
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
Former President Donald Trump expects to attend at least the first day of the civil trial pitting him and his company against New York Attorney General Letitia James, sources with knowledge of Trump’s plan say. The trial begins Monday.
Trump’s plan was first revealed in a court filing related to a separate court case, Trump’s lawsuit against his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. In it, the judge in Cohen’s case said that Trump asked to postpone a scheduled Oct. 3 deposition because of his intention to attend the first week of the trial.
The sources told CBS News that Trump expects to attend at least Monday’s proceedings.
The document in the Cohen case indicates Trump made the decision in the days since Judge Arthur Engoron, who will be presiding over the trial, issued a ruling finding Trump and the company liable for fraud.
“Plaintiff represented that, now that pretrial rulings have been entered in the case that materially altered the landscape, it was imperative that he attend his New York trial in person—at least for each day of the first week of trial when many strategy judgments had to be made,” wrote the judge in Cohen’s case.
At a campaign stop in California Friday, Trump was asked if he intended to attend the trial Monday.
“I may, I may,” Trump repliled. “What a disgrace. It’s a rigged — everything about this city is rigged. It’s all rigged now.”
Trump, two of his children, and his company were sued in Sept. 2022 by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Her office accused them of perpetrating years of fraud, and vastly overrepresenting both Trump’s wealth and the values of many of his properties on financial statements. On Tuesday, Engoron found that Trump overvalued the properties by hundreds of millions of dollars — and misrepresented his own worth by billions — while pursuing bank loans. The upcoming trial will now focus on other allegations in the lawsuit related to falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy.
Lucian Chalfen, a spokesperson for the court said, “We are prepared for any eventuality. Court Officers have been on a heightened state of readiness and officers have been cautioned to remain alert and vigilant both inside the courthouse and while on perimeter patrols. “
A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to comment. A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign did not reply to a request for comment.
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
