Eric, Donald Trump Jr. Respond to 'Cruel' Judge Engoron's Ruling

Donald Trump's eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., have lamented Judge Arthur Engoron's ruling, accusing the Democrat of being politically motivated in his decision against them and their father and calling him "a truly cruel man."

On Friday, Engoron, who is overseeing New York Attorney General Letitia James' fraud case against the former president, ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties for lying about his wealth. His two eldest sons were also punished for taking part in a scheme to inflate the value of his assets and get more favorable terms from banks and insurers. Trump denied any wrongdoing concerning the case.

Engoron didn't go as far as calling for the dissolution of Trump's business, but his companies have been placed under court supervision for at least three years. The judge also imposed a three-year ban on the former president from serving as an officer or director of any New York company, while his sons were banned for two years.

Eric and Donald Jr. Trump had been in charge of day-to-day operations at the Trump Organization since their father relinquished his leadership role in 2017, when he became president. Now, they will have to give up their positions and pay the fines ordered by Engoron, which amount to a total of $4 million each—their share of profits made from the sale of Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel in 2022.

Following the ruling, Eric Trump wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Engoron was "a truly cruel man," adding that he is innocent of the charges he has been accused of.

Of Engoron, Eric Trump said: "He knows that every single witness testified to the fact that I had absolutely NOTHING to do with this case (as INSANE as the case truly is). No other judge would ever have allowed my name to be dragged through the mud. This is not justice in America—this is political vengeance by a judge out to get my father, the frontrunner for President of the United States."

In an interview with Fox News on Friday night, Eric Trump added that he and his brothers were "trophies on a wall" for Engoron.

His elder brother Donald Trump Jr. similarly said that the ruling was politically motivated. "We've reached the point where your political beliefs combined with what venue your case is heard are the primary determinants of the outcome; not the facts of the case!" he wrote on X.

"It's truly sad what's happened to our country and I hope others see it before it's too late to correct course!"

In a statement provided to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said Engoron's ruling was "a gross miscarriage of justice."

They added: "The Trump Organization has never missed any loan payment or been in default on any loan.

"The lenders in each of these transactions were some of the largest banks in the world, they were represented by the most prestigious law firms in the country, and they performed extensive due diligence prior to entering into these transactions – and in the end, Deutsche Bank and others made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits all while having an incredible relationship with our organization.

"If the Attorney General is permitted to retroactively insert herself into private commercial transactions between sophisticated parties, no business transaction entered into in the State of New York will be beyond the Attorney General's purview.

"Every member of the New York business community, no matter the industry, should be gravely concerned with this gross overreach and brazen attempt by the Attorney General to exert limitless power where no private or public harm has been established.

"If allowed to stand, this ruling will only further expedite the continuing exodus of companies from New York."

The ruling financially hurts the Republican presidential frontrunner, who was already ordered to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer Jean E. Carroll. Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. The former president is also expected to pay interest on the penalties ordered by Engoron.

Trump slammed the ruling as "election interference." New York Attorney General James, who brought forward the lawsuit against the Republican, commented on the ruling, saying that "justice has been done."

Update 02/17/2024 11:50 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a response from the Trump Organization.