Trump Judge Calls Out 'Complete Lack of Contrition'

During his New York civil fraud trial, Donald Trump angrily called the case a scam, part of "the greatest witch hunt of all time." That argument may have found an audience, but there's reason to think Trump's defiance backfired with the judge, who ordered multimillion-dollar penalties and sanctions on Friday. Speaking of the ongoing attitude of the former president and other defendants, per the New York Times, Judge Arthur Engoron wrote, "Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological." Other aspects of the ruling and the fallout include:

• Trump's response: The former president went before cameras in Florida late Friday to rip the judge, President Biden, New York's attorney general, and the state in general. "A crooked New York state judge just ruled that I have to pay a fine of $355 million for having built a perfect company," Trump said, per NBC News. He said he'll appeal. Earlier in the day, Trump attacked Engoron and the verdict in a series of Truth Social posts, per the Hill. He called the decision an "unAmerican judgment against me, my family, and my tremendous business." In occasional all-caps, Trump again called the case a witch hunt.
• The state's reaction: Saying Trump engaged in "massive fraud," New York Attorney General Letitia James described the decision as "a tremendous victory for this state, this nation, and for everyone" who believes in equal justice, per the Washington Post.
• Under new management: The ruling bars Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from being officers of the Trump Organization or any other New York company for two years, per the AP. Although the company is intact, it's already running without a chief financial officer or a controller, said Boston College law professor Brian Quinn. "There is no one at the financial helm. There's no CFO, no controller, and now you don't have Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. or Donald Sr. running it," Quinn said. The ruling keeps Judge Barbara Jones as an independent monitor of Trump's businesses for at least another three years and adds an independent director of compliance.
• One Trump victory: James sought, but did not win, an order permanently barring Trump from conducting business in New York. Two former Trump Organization executives were hit with permanent bans on running finances for businesses in the state.
• Appeal to supporters: A text message with links for donating to Trump's presidential campaign went out quickly. "We need a massive peaceful pushback right here, right now," the message attributed to Trump said. It included an image of Trump and the words "election interference."
• Engoron's judgments: Even as he ruled against Trump, Engoron conceded that it's not like the defendants robbed "a bank at gunpoint," per Time. Using Catholic terms, the judge described the offense as a venial, not mortal, sin. "Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways," Engoron wrote. Trump's refusal to concede wrongdoing left him to think the former president would continue to commit fraud if left unpunished, Engoron said. That convinced the judge that he had no other choice.

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