# NY AG Letitia James drops the (civil) hammer {On Trump & Family} \[9/21/2022\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [September 21, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991 "2022-09-21T16:13:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/21 "2022-09-21T19:33:39Z")
Chump’s spokesshill Liz Harrington offers the defense that he “did not inflate his assets, he UNDERVALUED them”. Er… Liz… undervaluing his assets (to fraudulently reduce his tax bills) is one of the things he’s being accused of in the first place… 🤦‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/22 "2022-09-21T19:45:25Z")
I don’t believe even a conviction of a felony would bar him from running for president. The Constitution spells out what the qualifications are and I don’t believe the Supreme Court would consider any further restrictions on eligibility to be valid. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/23 "2022-09-21T19:47:41Z")
It depends on whether the felony is of a type that the Insurrection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment could be considered applicable. I suppose there could be an interesting court case about whether conviction for a particular crime would qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/24 "2022-09-21T19:51:38Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > will he still be able to run for President? > [@BobLibDem](#): > > don’t believe even a conviction of a felony would bar him from running for president. > [@Steve\_MB](#): > > It depends on whether the felony is of a type that the Insurrection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment could be considered applicable. But this isn’t a criminal case, so there’s no question of a felony conviction – or any conviction, for that matter – let alone anything barring him from holding office. The most this case can do is ruin Trump financially. I’d be fine with that. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/25 "2022-09-21T19:56:22Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > The most this case can do is ruin Trump financially. I’d be fine with that. It does provide a road map for a criminal prosecution, if anyone is so inclined. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/26 "2022-09-21T19:57:22Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Well, if he loses this case, Trump could try to sell Mar-A-Lago to raise the cash, but he only paid $10 million for it, and has probably so uglified it since then that it’s lost value. Expect emergency legislation in Florida to shield Mar-A-Lago and any other assets he has in the state from being seized by NY, as well as a refusal to extradite. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/27 "2022-09-21T20:01:31Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > yes, the CEO is responsible for the wrongdoing of a CFO, even granting the implausible premise that the instigator here was the CFO. Even so, it would be Trump’s modus operandi to at least attempt to throw Weisselberg under the bus. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/28 "2022-09-21T20:08:55Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > The most this case can do is ruin Trump financially. I can’t see him being _ruined_ financially or even having to sell M-a-L. His worshipful minions will gladly impoverish themselves, go without food, eat their pets, even sell their children to Hillary Clinton in order to make sure he never has to poop anywhere but in a gold toilet. People like him never go broke, even when they think they’ve gone broke. I remember after the [Enron scandal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal), Kenneth Lay saying he really understood poverty now because he and his wife were down to their “last million.” BTW there’s a great, thoroughly nauseating documentary on Enron called [“The Smartest Guys in the Room.”](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1016268/) ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/29 "2022-09-21T20:11:08Z")
There’s one significant difference between Trump’s case and the Enron case. Trump’s is a privately-held corporation, with only family members and close friends having any ownership interests. It’s going to be much harder for any involved Trump to dodge ultimate accountability. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/30 "2022-09-21T20:21:27Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > > [@Akaj](#): > > > > The most this case can do is ruin Trump financially. I’d be fine with that. > > It does provide a road map for a criminal prosecution, if anyone is so inclined. Sure, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He’s already under investigation for plenty of other felonies, and we have threads on all of them. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/31 "2022-09-21T20:24:42Z")
I thought that was already the case. Wasn’t it the reason OJ stayed in Florida? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/32 "2022-09-21T20:26:53Z")
Here is a list of legal cases involving TFG - we need some sort of scorecard for all this with columns for Wins (Convicted) Losses (Exonerated)… > **[The long list of legal cases against Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2022/feb/07/donald-trump-list-legal-cases)** > > The former president faces 19 legal actions, from alleged financial improprieties to his role in the 6 January insurrection ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/33 "2022-09-21T20:27:59Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I thought that was already the case. Yes. [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App\_mode=Display\_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0196/Sections/0196.031.html](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0196/Sections/0196.031.html) > **[How Does Florida Homestead Law Work? (2024 Update) - Alper Law](https://www.alperlaw.com/florida-asset-protection/florida-homestead-law/)** > > Understanding Florida homestead law, and how the Florida homestead exemption is used for asset protection against judgment creditors. When I took Business Law (I switched from Computer Science to Business Administration in college) we even spent some time talking about how special Florida was in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/34 "2022-09-21T20:45:34Z")
I wasn’t likening trump & Co. to Enron, just commenting that people like trump and Ken Lay always seem to have a million $$ or so tucked away in their sock drawer. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/35 "2022-09-21T20:48:27Z")
They do. But eventually, the source of Trump’s wealth, his grifting, will come to an end. As Republicans move on to the new annointed grifter, they won’t have $$ available for Trump. So just as he most needs their help, the griftees will have a new toilet to flush their money down. It will be hard to get by on just a million when you’re used to getting by on hundreds of millions, I think. Especially when the $250 million penalty bill comes due. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/36 "2022-09-21T20:49:06Z")
IIRC, Texas as well. It has been a LONG time, but in both states I believe 1 home and 1 car are exempt from collection, and wages cannot be garnished to satisfy a legal judgement. I remember one time I got a judgment against a pretty well known Houston Older. Just about every Monday throughout football season I could count on my client calling up screaming, “ **I saw that SoB on TV yesterday! When are you going to get my money?** ” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/37 "2022-09-21T20:55:34Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > … a pretty well known Houston Older … No wonder those guys never made the Super Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/38 "2022-09-21T20:55:38Z")
I hope you are right. 🤞🏽 I’d like to see trumpy living in a 450 sq ft apartment in a seniors retirement community, living on $2,000/mo social security and supplementing that with a part-time job as a Wal-Mart greeter. Yeah. That would make me happy. [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRoI6FDf31RfQg3l8C7vc0JbS8VRHZIo3swDC7K8y0WUMi366zQziorKDyc_2MnueEzjNc&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRoI6FDf31RfQg3l8C7vc0JbS8VRHZIo3swDC7K8y0WUMi366zQziorKDyc_2MnueEzjNc&usqp=CAU) ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/39 "2022-09-21T20:56:13Z")
Does anyone know if the NY AG office will be pursuing this as a RICO case? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991/40 "2022-09-21T20:57:37Z")
I’d like to see Trump try to run for president from prison… with no phone, no internet, no ability to hold campaign rallies… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-ag-letitia-james-drops-the-civil-hammer-on-trump-family-9-21-2022/971991.md?page=3)