President-elect Donald Trump asked New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) to drop her $500 million civil fraud case against him, his family, and his businesses, framing the move as a necessary step to “cure” partisan divisions following his recent election victory.
In a letter to James, D. John Sauer, an appellate attorney tapped by Trump for Solicitor General, argued that dismissing the case would help heal the country’s divides. Sauer invoked historical calls for unity, including President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, which urged the nation to set aside their divisions during the Civil War.
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“In the aftermath of his historic election victory, President Trump has called for our Nation’s partisan strife to end,” Sauer wrote in the letter dated Nov. 26. “This call for unity extends to the legal onslaught against him and his family that permeated the most recent election cycle.”
The civil fraud case, brought by James in 2022, accuses Trump of inflating the value of his assets to secure favorable tax and insurance benefits. New York Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump and his businesses liable for fraud last fall, and following a trial in February, he imposed a nearly $454 million penalty. With accrued interest, the figure now exceeds $494 million.
Trump has denied wrongdoing, insisting his assets were undervalued and that his financial statements included disclaimers encouraging banks to conduct independent assessments.
Witnesses during the trial, including former Deutsche Bank executives, testified that the banks viewed Trump as a “whale of a client” and sought his business enthusiastically. An accounting expert also testified there was no evidence of fraud, attributing any discrepancies to errors rather than misconduct.
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Sauer’s letter emphasized that James’s case lacks clear victims or evidence of harm, asserting that all loans and insurance payments were fulfilled on time or early.
“This lawsuit against him vindicates no public purpose,” Sauer wrote, adding that the case has created a “chilling effect” on businesses in The Empire State, and serves as a punishment against a man who “rebuilt the New York skyline, created thousands of jobs … and is singularly responsible for many other successes.”
The request to drop the hefty civil judgment follows recent legal victories for Trump, including the dismissal of two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith and a judge’s decision to indefinitely postpone sentencing in the Manhattan hush-money case. Sauer argued the civil fraud case should be treated similarly, citing the “partisan division” it has fueled.
James, who has been a vocal critic of Trump, has not publicly commented on the request. However, she has previously stated her office would continue to stand against injustice, even under a second Trump administration.
Trump has vowed to appeal the fraud ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.
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Sauer argued before a New York appellate court in September that the fine against Trump should be reversed, and the panel of judges appeared somewhat skeptical over James’s case, signaling that they could be open to at least lowering the fine Engoron imposed on the future president.
Trump posted a $175 million bond to appeal the case after initially struggling to find a loan servicer to front the case.