Judge Slams Trump's Attorneys In $250 Million Fraud Case: 'I Thought That Was A Joke'

On Friday, a New York judge showcased his exasperation with Donald Trump's defense team while contemplating sanctioning them for presenting frivolous arguments in a $250 million civil lawsuit against the former president. 

"When I first heard those arguments, I thought that was a joke," Judge Arthur Engoron said, according to ABC News, adding that he has often made rulings on some of the arguments brought up again by the defense. "The rule on sanctions is if you've been warned, don't do it. You were warned," he stated.

Trump's lawyer, Chris Kise, defended the arguments he made. "As a lawyer, I have to make the arguments," he said to Engoron, and later requested the judge to drop the case against the former president and the other defendants.

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The New York Attorney General's office has accused Trump of vastly inflating the value of his assets, including Mar-a-Lago, Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street and his golf courses. It argues that Trump ignored professional appraisals, used unreliable data, and carried out contradictory accounting methods to inflate their worth.

Meanwhile, Kise argued that the attorney general's office selectively used appraisals to portray Trump's business dealings unjustly and that Trump had an eye for "finding value where others do not." "This is why billionaires are billionaires," he said, highlighting Trump's ability to recognize the value of his "trophy" properties.

Judge Engoron intends to issue a comprehensive decision by Tuesday that would address the main issues at the heart of the case. His verdict could determine the extent of the $250 million civil trial set to begin on Oct. 2 in downtown Manhattan, according to ABC News. 

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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