Feb 21, 2024
Cut!
Engoron wrote a 92-page opinion explaining his actions. First, if you
wondered why there was no jury and the decision was left to Engoron
and Engoron alone, the judge noted that that is New York law in this
case. James structured the lawsuit so that Trump could not appeal to
the judgment of a jury. "There was no right to a jury," Engoron
wrote, "and the case was 'tried to the Court,' the Court being the
sole factfinder and the sole 'judge of credibility.'"
Engoron conceded that Trump repaid all his loans in full and on time.
There was no one to play the role of victim, no one to testify that
Trump cheated them out of anything. The banks didn't lose money, they
made money -- the precise amounts specified in the loan contracts.
But the judge still found misconduct. "It is undisputed that
defendants have made all required payments on time," he wrote. But
"timely and total repayment of loans does not extinguish the harm
that false statements inflict on the marketplace."
https://townhall.com/columnists/byronyork/2024/02/21/judge-engorons-retribution-n2635501
It's just hard for me to believe any state would have a law like
that, where a biased prosecutor and judge could work together to fine
a person three hundred and fifty million dollars.
They should both be disbarred.