The New York Attorney General's Office rejected a demand to drop the civil business fraud case that has President-elect Donald Trump on the hook for more than $480 million in fines.
But there is"no merit" to that claim, Vale wrote Tuesday. And Trump's upcoming inauguration, she wrote,"has no bearing" on the outcome of the trial or his ongoing efforts to challenge the judgment. For that reason, Vale also brushed off Sauer's point that prosecutors have dropped or delayed a number of the criminal cases against Trump in the wake of his Nov. 5 victory over Vice President"This civil enforcement action is not a criminal action, and Supreme Court did not impose any criminal sanction on Mr. Trump or any other defendant," she wrote.
After finding Trump liable for fraud and holding a bench trial to determine penalties, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron in February ordered Trump to pay more than $450 million in fines and interest.