Weekend Law: Trump Fined $364 Million & First Trial Date
Feb 17, 2024
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Legal experts discuss Trump's $364 million fine, first trial date, and efforts to delay trials. Also, the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas and House Republicans' efforts to impeach Biden administration officials are analyzed.
Trump fined $364 million for inflating asset values in New York.
Impeachment of Mayorkas highlights concerns over devaluation of impeachment process.
Deep dives
Trump and his real estate company fined $364 million
A judge in New York has handed down a verdict finding Donald Trump and his real estate company $364 million in penalties and barring him from running any business in the state for three years. The judge found that Trump and his companies engaged in a scheme of inflating asset values to obtain better loan terms. This is a major victory for New York Attorney General Leticia James, who sued Trump after a three-year investigation.
Prosecutors schedule criminal trial for Trump
A judge in Manhattan has scheduled the first criminal trial against Donald Trump for the Hush Money payments case for March 25th. Trump has asked the Supreme Court to put his DC criminal trial on hold, but the judge denied the request and emphasized that Trump willingly chose to represent himself in both cases. The trial in Manhattan will proceed before the election and Trump's defense team has raised several arguments to delay the trial, including tying it to recent verdicts and alleging interference with the campaign season.
House impeaches Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, making him only the second cabinet member in US history to be impeached. The impeachment was based on claims of willful refusal to comply with the law and breach of public trust related to his handling of immigration and security at the border. However, several conservative scholars and even former Homeland Security secretaries from both parties have dismissed the impeachment as unwarranted. While the Senate is expected to hold a trial, it is likely that a motion to dismiss the case will be entertained.
Concerns over the devaluation of impeachment
The wave of impeachment attempts by House Republicans against Biden administration officials, including Trump's impeachment, raises concerns about the devaluation of the impeachment process. Impeachment is meant to address the most serious offenses, not serve as a means to target officials based on policy disagreements. By introducing baseless impeachment resolutions, the seriousness of the process is undermined, risking dismissal of legitimate cases. It is crucial to ensure that impeachment remains a constitutional mechanism reserved for the gravest misconduct.
June Grasso discusses the top legal stories of the week with the experts. Bloomberg legal reporter Patricia Hurtado on Trump’s $364 million fine. Robert Mintz of McCarter & English on Trump’s first criminal trial date being set. Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg on Trump asking the Supreme Court to put his DC criminal trial on hold. And Frank Bowman, a professor at the University of Missouri Law School, on the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas.
