New Yorkers are no stranger to Donald Trump’s legal problems.
Starting decades ago, knowledgeable residents of the Big Apple witnessed the Trump family cheat and rig the system for their own benefit. So what’s truly interesting about Friday’s New York civil fraud decision is that Trump and his co-defendants are finally being held financially accountable — to the tune of over $350 million. This massive judgment highlights the extent of Trump and the Trump Organization’s white-collar malfeasance.
This massive judgment highlights the extent of Trump and the Trump Organization’s white-collar malfeasance.
Trump’s actions have consequences. And New York’s hardworking residents deserve to know that the rich and greedy don’t get to play by a different set of rules. As Kevin Wallace, a lawyer in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office, said during closing arguments: Trump’s misconduct “prices out honest borrowers and can lead to more catastrophic results.”
Fortunately, an entirely new generation of New York public servants, not steeped in the traditions of “go along, get along,” have emerged to fight back. Their actions this week confirm that a long history of corruption is finally being overcome.
Judge Arthur Engoron, a classically blunt New Yorker, has consistently shown he is not overawed by the powerful man whose fate he holds in his hands.
And James, who like me started her political career as an insurgent City Council member, stood her ground against Trump in a way her predecessors never managed. But it didn’t always work this way.
In 1973, a federal investigation probed the racially discriminatory practices of Donald Trump and his father, Fred. The feds took exception to the Trump family’s habit of steering Black and Latino applicants away from their buildings where white people lived. Trump ultimately got a slap on the wrist, never acknowledged guilt and kept on discriminating.
That was just the beginning. The lesson Trump learned…
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