Trump doesn’t have patience for those who’ve wronged him. He’s not afraid to call them out.
And Donald Trump tears a corrupt judge into pieces for this committing this appalling action.
Trump’s Courtroom Win Fuels Feud with New York Judge and AG
Fresh from a major legal victory, President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering attack on New York Judge Arthur Engoron on Sunday, branding him “incompetent,” “crooked,” and almost as “corrupt” as Attorney General Letitia James. The sharp words followed a landmark appellate ruling that slashed a $500 million penalty in James’ civil fraud case against Trump.
The New York Appellate Division’s decision overturned the massive fine, which stemmed from allegations that Trump inflated his real estate assets’ value to secure favorable lender terms. The five-judge panel ruled the penalty—$364 million plus interest—violated the Eighth Amendment, wiping it out entirely.
Trump’s Unrelenting Criticism
Trump took to Truth Social to slam Engoron, who oversaw the non-jury trial. “The Appellate Court removed incompetent Judge Engoron, but he refused to go, or even to acknowledge them,” Trump posted.
“He’s a highly overturned, CROOKED Judge, who is retiring into a life of lawsuits, along with his Chief Clerk, soon! He is almost as Corrupt as Leticia James, but not quite!”
Trump’s allies had accused Engoron of bias against the president-elect, his family, and his business. While the court upheld findings that Trump and his company were liable and affirmed James’ authority to impose injunctive relief on the Trump Organization, the elimination of the financial penalty was a major blow to her case.
Dissent Questions Political Agenda
Justice David Friedman, dissenting in part, argued James’ intent was political. He claimed her “ultimate goal was not market hygiene … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business.”
Friedman criticized James’ use of Section 63(12) of New York’s Executive Law, which grants sweeping civil fraud powers, calling it an unprecedented weaponization that gave her “essentially limitless power to prosecute her political enemies.”
He argued Trump’s deals involved sophisticated parties who profited without public harm, stating he would “reverse the judgment and dismiss the complaint.”
Tensions Escalate with New Probes
With the judges split regarding liability, the case is likely bound for New York’s Court of Appeals, as James pledged to appeal. Elected in 2018, James, a Democrat, has long had her sights set on Trump, calling him an “illegitimate president” during her campaign and promising to “use every area of the law” to investigate Trump and his businesses.
Since Trump’s second term began, the Justice Department has opened probes tied to James’ case against him, while also investigating allegations that she committed mortgage fraud by not being truthful regarding her primary residence on loans in New York and Virginia. James denies the claims, labeling the DOJ’s actions a “revenge tour” for her lawsuit.
As accusations of political motives fly on both sides, this escalating legal clash promises to keep Trump and James at odds for quite some time.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
