CNN’s top legal analyst admitted he wasn’t the least bit surprised when a New York appeals court threw out more than $500 million in penalties against President Donald Trump and his business empire, gutting what many have called a politically motivated case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
On CNN, Wolf Blitzer asked senior legal analyst Elie Honig if he was shocked by the ruling. Honig replied, “Well, I’m not, Wolf. I have been skeptical of the attorney general’s case for a long time. I’m on record saying that. This is a huge win for Donald Trump any way you cut it. And this is a stinging rebuke to the attorney general, Letitia James.”
The ruling, Honig explained, was sweeping in its rejection of the massive fine James had sought. “The finding here — it’s a very long, complicated ruling — but the bottom line is, while the finding of liability against Donald Trump can stand for now, at least, the damages award, which started at $350 million, with interest gets up close to $500 million, that is thrown out.”
Honig noted that the key problem with the civil case against Trump was the absence of any actual victims. “The core reason for that ruling, according to the judges, is essentially that there was not enough of a showing here that there were actual victims,” he said.
This is a point any honest observer has been making from the start. As we’ve noted repeatedly at PJ Media, Trump not only repaid the loans in full, but the very bank that New York Attorney General Letitia James accused him of defrauding actually testified in his defense. In other words, there was no crime and no victim. Just as important, James campaigned on a promise to go after Trump, and she was so desperate in her crusade that she was blind to the fact that there was no actual crime.
As Honig explained, “So it’s not the typical type of fraud case where you have somebody stealing money from other people or ripping off unknowing consumers.”
The appeals court’s rejection of the penalty is nothing short of monumental. Not only does it free Trump from one of the most outrageous legal attacks against him, but it also brings more scrutiny to the partisan motives behind James’s prosecution.
Honig highlighted how unusual the process was, pointing out the length of time it took the judges to deliver their ruling. “This ruling by the appeals court is monumental. It was also very unusual in that it took them nearly a year to reach this decision,” he said.
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As for what comes next, Honig said the state’s highest court will likely take up the matter. “The next step is going to be to go up to the highest court in the state, the Court of Appeals in New York state.”
For now, however, the decision stands as a major victory for Trump and a humiliating setback for Letitia James. What she billed as a landmark takedown of the former president has collapsed under the weight of its own weakness, leaving Trump vindicated — and James exposed as the partisan hack that she is.
They told us this “landmark takedown” would end Trump. Now, even CNN’s top legal mind calls it a stinging rebuke to Letitia James. PJ Media has exposed the no-victim sham from day one, while legacy media treated it as legit. Support fearless conservative journalism by joining PJ Media VIP, and use code FIGHT for 60% off. Enjoy exclusive content, ad-free browsing, and comments. Don’t wait, join today.