Trump rages as judge considers fine for illegal profits

Donald Trump raged as the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial considers punishing fines that pose an existential threat to his business empire.

His legal team argued in court Tuesday that disgorgement – fining Trump for illegally profiting from fraudulent financial statements – should be off the table, but Judge Arthur Engoron strongly disagreed, but the former president insisted that was unfair because he wasn't even familiar with the term.

"Judge Engoron is a political hack who ruled against me before the trial even started," Trump posted shortly before 8 a.m. on Truth Social. "He is doing the dirty work for the Democrat Party. I was not even given the option of a jury, This Rigged Case should have never been brought, but since it was, it should have been in the Commercial Division, but Engoron WOULD NOT LET GO OF IT. He fought us, sanctioned us for no reason, fined us big money, never gave us even a one day delay. This is his big chance, and he was not going to let it go."

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Engoron issued a summary judgment that found Trump liable for fraud, and while New York attorney general Letitia James requested a bench trial, the ex-president's lawyers failed to file any corresponding documents seeking a jury trial, so the judge alone will determine what penalties to impose at the conclusion of the bench trial.

"In the meantime, they 'lost' their Star Witness, and my Financial Statements are GREAT!" Trump said. "There was no fraud, so they are working with the corrupt A.G. whose campaign was 'I will get Trump,' to develop something, anything. They even go back to 2014, past the Statute of Limitations, to look at a 'low ball' offer I made for the Buffalo Bills. Someone else offered much more, so what?"

Prosecution witness Michael Cohen, who served as Trump's attorney for years and pleaded guilty to crimes related to that work, testified that his former client had never directed him to lie on financial statements but repeated his assertion that he speaks like a "mob boss" and strongly implies illegal actions he wants others to take.

"Now they come up with something called 'disgorgement,'" Trump added. "I never even heard of the term. WITCH HUNT!!! ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!"