Rudy Giuliani has condemned the judgment against Donald Trump who was accused of inflating his assets’ value, because “making a false statement is not fraud.”
Trump faces a Monday deadline to pay a $454 million penalty, which includes interest, following the ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron in a civil-fraud case filed by Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James. Newsweek contacted the Trump campaign team and James’ office for comment by email on Saturday.
Trump was accused of exaggerating his assets’ worth to gain favorable loans but has denied any wrongdoing. However, the former president risks having his assets seized if he does not pay the penalty while he lodges an appeal requiring him to secure a bond of 120 percent of what he owes with collateral.
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Trump’s legal team said he had faced “insurmountable difficulties” in trying to get the bond. It raises the prospect that his properties, including Trump Tower and some of his golf courses, could be seized.
However, Giuliani, a former lawyer for Trump, said to Newsmax that the ex-president should file a motion in federal court to stop the seizure of his assets because his right to due process has been violated.
Giuliani told the conservative channel that the number is “not tied to anything.” He added that “there is no number to which you can attach it since no one alleges a loss. It is completely contradictory to 800, 900 years of the development of the tort and the crime of fraud, which is based on loss.”
“If I pitch you something and you don’t buy into it, or you do and you make money, you can’t sue me for fraud. Just making a false statement is not fraud,” Giuliani said in the clip posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Ron Filipkowski, a former federal and state prosecutor, who wrote: “Rudy with a great defense of Trump in his NY case.”
Rudy with a great defense of Trump in his NY case: “If I pitch you something and you don’t buy into it, or if you do and you make money, you can’t sue me for fraud. Just making a false statement is not fraud.” pic.twitter.com/9VDNBs5PBp
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) March 23, 2024
This prompted a lively thread in which other X users mocked the logic of the former mayor of New York City. “lol [laugh out loud]! It’s the old 2 + 2 = 3 argument that Rudy is so fond of!” wrote RebelwoApplause.
Matthew Arthur-Gray posted: “The mental gymnastics that his supporters go through to make a crime not a crime.”
In another part of the interview, Giuliani continued: “Property is only allowed to be taken with due process. They have proven that this isn’t just due process.
“It is beyond doubt that this is all about blocking him illegally from the presidency,” Giuliani said on the conservative channel. “Every single case [against] Trump is in a Democrat jurisdiction.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.