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Ex-President Donald Trump recently revealed on his Truth Social platform that a Manhattan Judge wouldn’t let him table a document in court linked to his current civil fraud case. Trump recounted that he had tried to extract the paper from his jacket during his heated trial session on Monday, but his request was denied.
He identified this document as a disclaimer that ostensibly exculpated him from the $250 million civil deception lawsuit brought forth by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In his digital proclamation, Trump wrote, ‘This document here, which I desired to enter, was dismissed by the Judge. He does not wish for anyone to understand the Disclaimer Clause present in the intro of every Financial Statement.’
The communique contained an attachment of a document christened ‘Disclaimers Provided to Banks in Each Financial Statement.’ A guiding assertion in the document reads that ‘considerable judgment is needed to interpret the market data and derive the related current value assessments’.
The concluding remarks on this document advised ‘Users of this fiscal report to note that different conclusions about Donald J. Trump’s financial status may be reached.’ Based on reports from the New York Post, during a point of his testimony, Trump requested Arthur Engoron, the current Judge overseeing the hearing, if he could quote verbatim from the document.
Trump inquired with an earnest tone, ‘Would you permit me to read this, Your Honor? Am I allowed to?’ Judge Engoron, however, denied the request. The Post reiterated that Trump has been implicated in providing inaccurate yearly ‘statements of financial conditions’. He supposedly overstated his net worth by billions more than the actual to negotiate superior loan and insurance terms spanning the period of 2011 through 2021.
New York Attorney General Letitia James cited in her lawsuit that Trump allegedly falsified financial documents shared with prospective banks for loans. Believing his overstated wealth, they often extended more favorable loan terms with lower interest rates. Nevertheless, the real estate mogul contended he shouldn’t be deemed responsible for any inconsistencies in the financial reports as the disclosure included a disclaimer requiring beneficiaries to perform their independent accounting assessments.
Judge Engoron dismissed this argument as a viable defense, referring to a ruling from September. ‘Read my opinion again – or possibly for the first time,’ the Judge retorted curtly.
In the said ruling dated September 26, the Judge declared that the disclaimers ‘do not inoculate defendants from accountability.’ He further implied that the disclaimers put the responsibility for accuracy ‘squarely on the defendants’ shoulders’.
Trump, eventually exasperated with the proceedings, criticized both the judge and Attorney General. After maintaining a low-profile throughout his two hours of therapy, Trump expressed his annoyance loud and clear. He accused both Engoron and James of attempting to ‘infringe’ on him.
The former President dubbed James a ‘career opportunist,’ attributing to her the motives of leveraging this case to ascend to the governor’s seat and solidify her actual position. He then directed his ire at Judge Engoron, emphatically pointing towards him, ‘Everyone’s got their eyes on this case. He labelled me a fraud without knowing any better about me.’
Trump continued his fiery monologue, ‘The fraudulence rests with the court, not me. When there’s a ruling that Mar-A-Lago is valued at $18 million, and it’s appraised at $25 million, either people lack intelligence or there’s fraud. And the fraud lies not with me but with the court.’
In a decision made mere days before the commencement of the trial, Engoron held Trump culpable for several fraud charges levied against him by James. Among them was the flawed appraisal of his Palm Beach golf club, which Trump had claimed was worth as much as $1.5 billion, but the court recognized a Florida official’s valuation of a maximum of $27 million.
Trump continued his outcry, ‘He labeled me a trickster because I didn’t assess my property correctly. He’s the one who didn’t regulate my property justly.’ The former President voiced that he delivered commendable service while in office.
Following the long tirade, the Attorney General’s lawyer, Kevin Wallace, interjected, asking, ‘You’re finished?’ To which, Trump retorted tersely, ‘I’m finished.’