John Sauer, one of Donald Trump's lawyers, officially requested on Wednesday the annulment of a civil sentence imposed on the former US president and his family last February. The sentence, imposed by a Manhattan court, included fines totaling $454 million for financial fraud at the Trump Organization. According to the judgment, Donald Trump and his sons, Eric and Donald Jr., artificially inflated real estate assets.
In a letter addressed to the Attorney General of the State of New York, Letitia James, John Sauer, future number 4 of the Department of Justice, urged to “completely drop the case against President Donald Trump, his family, his companies and cancel the judgment and all damages.” He pleaded that this approach would serve “the greater good of the country”.
A legal and historical strategy
John Sauer based his petition on constitutional and historical arguments. He warned that upholding the conviction would raise “serious and dubious constitutional questions,” citing a possible attack on presidential immunity. The lawyer also recalled historical examples of national reconciliation, citing Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and John F. Kennedy.
John Sauer also highlighted the “historic electoral victory” of Donald Trump, affirming that the former president called for going beyond partisan conflicts to unite the country. Letitia James, a Democratic magistrate, had initially threatened to carry out legal seizures of real estate to recover the amount owed. However, Donald Trump filed a $175 million bond covered by an insurer in April and appealed the ruling.
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