On Tuesday, former president Donald Trump published on Truth Social a document that a Manhattan Supreme Court judge had denied him permission to distribute in court.
Trump acknowledged in the post that the document he removed from his jacket pocket during his court testimony on Monday—but was not granted permission to read aloud—was a disclaimer sheet. He claimed that the document exonerated him in the New York Attorney General Letitia James fraud case.
“This is the Paper that I wanted to submit that the Judge refused to take, because he doesn’t want anybody to know about the Disclaimer Clause at the beginning of each Financial Statement,” Trump wrote in his social media post.
Trump attached to the post a document entitled “Disclaimers Provided to Banks in Each Financial Statement.”
It cautioned the reader that “considerable judgment is necessary to interpret market data and develop the related estimates of current value.”
It concluded that “Users of this financial statement should recognize that they might reach different conclusions about the financial condition of Donald J. Trump.”
On Monday, during his testimony, Trump produced the disclaimer and requested authorization from Justice Arthur Engoron to read it aloud.
“I would love to read this, Your Honor, if I could? Am I allowed to do that?” he asked, according to a New York Post report.
Engoron refused to grant permission, saying he had already rejected the disclaimer as an acceptable defense argument, ruling that such statements “do not insulate defendants from liability.”
“Read my opinion again — or for the first time, perhaps,” Engoron told Trump, according to the Post.
Trump has faced allegations that he inflated the value of his company’s assets in order to secure more favorable loan and insurance terms.
Forbes reported that James, along with the former president’s sons and business associates, is suing Trump.
As a retaliatory remark, Trump has accused James of pursuing him for political gain.
He has emphasized that he repaid the loans in full, plus interest, and that no purported victims are alleging to have been duped.
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of Trump, was supposed to provide testimony on Wednesday.
Forbes reported that a possible $250 million sanction is in play for Trump. Additionally, he may face future prohibitions from operating businesses in New York.
“Engoron has already ruled that Trump’s business certificates should be canceled as part of the judge’s pretrial ruling, but an appeals court has put that on hold,” the news outlet reported.
Tuesday, in a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump confronted his social media followers directly with his argument.
“I am worth Billions of Dollars more than what is on my financial Statements,” he insisted. “[T]hey are very conservative (Therefore, NO FRAUD!) – and the CORRUPT & RACIST NEW YORK STATE A.G., Letitia Peekaboo James, working in close coordination with the TRUMP HATING, RADICAL LEFT JUDGE, and the Biden White House, refuses to drop the NO JURY ALLOWED CASE that was brought using a Statute never used for this before.
“In fact, no such lawsuit has ever been brought by the Attorney General’s Office!” he added. “It is a mockery of our Judicial and Legal System. Something must be done to stop the Fascists.”
Trump concluded his campaign for the 2016 presidential election with the watchword he popularized: “MAGA!” (Make America Great Again).