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Former President Donald Trump is moving "closer and closer" to "losing his own liberty" over his continued attacks on court staff in his New York civil fraud trial, ex-GOP congressman David Jolly said Saturday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump and his family, including sons Donald Jr. Trump and Eric Trump, for $250 million, accusing them of frequently inflating Trump's own net worth and the value of his assets by billions of dollars from 2011 to 2021 to secure better deals and loans. The Trump family have dismissed the accusations and maintained their innocence, accusing prosecutors of being politically motivated and attempting to harm Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the case, ruled last month that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses, and executives committed fraud, for which they will be held civilly liable to an extent to be determined throughout the rest of the trial. The court will also rule on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims. Engoron himself will rule on the charges, as Trump's legal team did not opt for a jury trial. The result could see the former president and his family lose some of their famous properties and be barred from doing business in New York.
Throughout the trial, Trump has contended with a gag order put in place by Engoron to prevent him from making comments directed at court staff members. On November 16, an appeals court issued a temporary pause on the order citing "constitutional and statutory rights at issue." In the wake of that pause, Trump on Thursday posted a Thanksgiving message to Truth Social attacking multiple people involved in the case, calling James "racist and incompetent," Engoron a "psycho," and the judge's clerk "Politically Biased and Corrupt." Reports have subsequently found that the level of threats made against Engoron and his staff has jumped dramatically in the wake of Trump's posts about them.
Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday, Jolly, a political analyst for the network, spoke about Trump's continued attempts to denigrate those involved in bringing the civil fraud trial against him, suggesting that he is inching closer to a greater loss of his personal liberties. Jolly previously served as a GOP representative for Florida's 13th Congressional District, but has since left the Republican Party and become an outspoken opponent of Trump.
"In past years, his holiday messages have attacked socialists and Democrats and the deep state and this was an unhinged screed against prosecutors and judges and it gives you a little bit in terms of his state of mind," Jolly said. "We continue to step closer and closer to Donald Trump possibly losing his own liberty either because of pretrial behaviors and attacks on prosecutors and judges or a conviction."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's office via email for comment.
Jolly also suggested on Saturday that Trump's tirades bode well for President Joe Biden's reelection chances, despite recent polls showing Trump in the lead.
"I don't think he has a lead over Biden like the polls show because when people see his behavior, they are reminded that he is an unstable, unhinged man, who should not be returning to the White House and that is enough to protect Joe Biden's lead going into a matchup," the former congressman added.
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About the writer
Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more