Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration as president has no bearing on his $454 million civil fraud judgment, according to a letter from New York Attorney General Letitia James to the president-elect’s lawyer.
A judge ruled last year that Trump and his adult sons lied about Trump’s net worth many times to get better loan terms over a decade of business dealings. As a result, they now owe about $490 million, plus interest, in their civil fraud case. Trump has filed an appeal.
The letter said that James planned to keep defending her decision against Trump while he appealed the case. This is because presidents are not immune to civil suits.
The normal stresses of civil litigation do not get in the way of the President’s official duties in a way that goes against the U.S.
Constitution, New York Deputy Solicitor General Judith Vale wrote to D. John Sauer, Trump’s nominee for solicitor general and appellate lawyer, in a letter.
Last month, Sauer asked James to drop her civil case against Trump so that partisan differences could be “cured” and “the health of our Republic” would get better.
“After his historic election win, President Trump has called for an end to partisan fighting in the United States and for the different groups to work together for the good of the country.”
“This call for unity includes the wave of lawsuits against him and his family during the last election cycle,” Sauer wrote, referring to the recent dismissal of Trump’s federal cases for election interference and leaks of classified documents.
According to Vale’s letter, the request was turned down because there is “no merit to your claim that the pendency of defendants’ own appeal will impede Mr. Trump’s official duties as President.”
Because the case against the New York attorney general is civil, James can keep working on her case even after Trump takes office.
“Accordingly, the various actions taken by the Special Counsel’s office or the District Attorney’s Office of New York County in the respective criminal cases brought by those offices against Mr. Trump are irrelevant here,” Vale wrote.
The judge could make a decision at any time on Trump’s appeal of the decision.