Fake as a three-dollar bill, 63-year-old New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James $250 million civil suit against the Trump Organization smells political subterfuge. James tried to sound legitimate talking about the Trump’s organizations inflated-or-deflated real estate valuations over the last 20 years, saying that Trump and his children defrauded the system. But James has higher political ambitions, certainly a Democrat hoping to do her part in preventing former President Donald Trump for running for the presidency in 2024. A recent New York Times poll showed that despite all of Trump’s legal woes, his supporters still back his 2024 bid for president. Multiple legal actions, largely driven by Democrats against Trump, prove that the same witch-hunt that tried to keep him from the presidency in 2016 is still at play. James wants Trump to pay $250 million and be barred from New York real estate transactions.
James claims that Trump overvalued Mar-a-Lago at $739 million when the actual value was $75 million, claiming the property was unrestricted and developed for residential use, when, in fact, it was not. James called Trump’s practices “persistent and repeated business fraud,” saying he bamboozled banks for more favorable lending terms. James mentions nothing about valuations performed by licensed appraisers not by Trump himself or the Trump Organization. All the claims of defrauding banks ignore how the real estate valuation process works, certainly not with Trump or his Organization. James claims that Trump used his accountant Aaron Weisselberg inflated the value of his net worth. “Mir Trump made known through Mr. Weisselberg that he wanted his net worth the Statements to increase—a desire Mr. Weisselberg and others carried out year-after-year in their fraudulent preparation of Statements,” James said
James statements show the same animus toward Trump as other Democrat officials looking the charge him with planning and orchestrating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Department of Justice and FBI’s Aug. 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago also tries to charge Trump with violating U.S. codes related to classified documents. James’ lawsuit is a continuation of the same organized plot to charge Trump with something to prevent him from running again for president. Letitia James gives away her extreme bias against Trump, something deleted from most Democrat newspapers and broadcasst outlets. “Claiming you have money you do not have does not amount to the art of the deal. It’s the art of the steal,” James said, poking fun at Trump’s 1987 best-selling book with Tony Schwartz. But why would New York’s Atty. Gen. reference the “Art of the Deal,” were it not part of a witch-hunt?
When it comes to valuations or devaluations of real estate, it’s carefully regulated by licensed appraisers, not something Trump or his kids had anything to do with. Whether or not Weisselberg pleaded guilty to illegal tax writes offs or gifts has nothing to do with the appraisal process involved in completing real estate transactions. “Our criminal investigation concerning former President Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization and its leadership is active and ongoing,” said Manhattan District Atty. Alvin Bragg. “Today’s filing is neither focused on the facts nor the law—rather, it is solely focused on advancing the attorney general’s political agenda,” said Trump’s attorney Lisa Habba. When you talk to Democrats and the press, every charge, every filing, every allegation about Trump are all true, all because they seek political revenge. Five years of the Russian hoax proves that the Trump witch-hunt is real.
Democrats and the press cannot be trusted when it comes to Trump. Whether he or his organization inflated-deflated real estate values, it’s part of the arcane field of residential and commercial real estate. James acts like only the Trump Organization inflates or deflated real estate values depending on market condition. James used as an example Trump’s Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland. James says the golf club ranged in value between $23 million and $126.8 million on the Fixed Asset Scheme, claiming the golf could have valued much lower. But whatever the differences in valuations, James over-states her case, knowing little about how commercial and residential real estate works. James, like the Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg, want to charge Trump with a crime but they don’t know the ins-and-outs of real estate. James wouldn’t cite the “Art of the Deal,” if she didn’t have it in for Trump.
Nitpicking over real estate valuations is a way James can make a case against Trump but it won’t hold up in court. Former Atty. Gen. Bill Barr, 72, said James went over the top naming Trump’s grown children, Ivanka, Eric and Don in her complaint. James is good about making headlines in Democrat papers and broadcast outlets but she’s not good at putting a case together that has substance. Real estate valuations or devaluations come from licensed appraisers, not from Trump or his children. “The magnitude of financial benefit derived by Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization by means of fraudulent and misleading submissions was considerable,” James suit said. No one in Democrat circles, including the press, admits that they engaged in five years of a Russian hoax against Trump. Democrats hope that all of Trump’s legal problems prevent him from running in 2024.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in nation and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
