Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) made celebratory statements on X (formerly Twitter) after a New York appeals court dismissed a massive $500 million civil penalty issued to President Donald Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
President Trump was convicted of fraudulently overstating his wealth to lenders and insurers last February in a 3-month trial brought forth by James and presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron. Engoron ordered Trump to pay over $500 million (including interest) as a civil penalty.
The President appealed the penalty, which had just been granted by the New York appellate court in Manhattan, arguing that the fine was "excessive" and constituted a violation of the Eighth Amendment.
In his post to X (formerly Twitter), Rep. Biggs said, "Everyone with any common sense knew that this was politicized lawfare from the start. I'm glad to see the appeals court make the right decision."
Similarly, Rep. Hamadeh stated, "This sham ruling has been exposed for what it truly was: blatant election interference orchestrated by an activist attorney general, a partisan judge, and a kangaroo court."
"The American people saw right through it in November, and today, justice has prevailed," Rep. Hamadeh added.
President Trump was equally celebratory in a Truth Social post, declaring "TOTAL VICTORY in the FAKE New York State Attorney General Letitia James Case!"
"I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State," Trump continued, adding, "Others were afraid to do business there. The amount, including Interest and Penalties, was over $550 Million Dollars. It was a Political Witch Hunt, in a business sense, the likes of which no one has ever seen before."
Ironically, New York AG James herself is now under investigation for fraud, having supposedly "falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms," according to Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William J. Pulte.
