Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said that there is a "risk in not seizing" former President Trump's assets, warning about what Trump could do to secure the funds to post bond in his New York civil fraud case. Responding on "Fox & Friends" Monday, Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett called the comments "just plain ignorant." Later on Monday, a New York Appeals Court slashed the bond due in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case by more than half.
LOOMING LEGAL PENALTIES RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP'S FINANCES
GREGG JARRETT: I have no idea what she was saying. … I don't really think she does. You know, trying to make sense of anything AOC says is sort of a favorite Washington parlor game. She has this uncanny ability to talk incessantly, while saying absolutely nothing. And that is because she is hopelessly uninformed, terminally obtuse, and I think just plain ignorant. This is the same person a week ago who said RICO or racketeering is not a crime. No sane person takes AOC seriously, which I suppose is why she's always featured on CNN.
Trump faced a deadline Monday to pay the $454 million penalty in the civil fraud judgment against him or the state of New York will have the opportunity to seize his properties while he appeals the ruling – though it remained unclear what would happen if he failed to do so.
On Monday, a state appellate court ruled Trump would be required to pay $175 million bond in 10 days.
In February, a New York judge ruled that Trump fraudulently overstated his net worth and the value of his real estate properties to secure more favorable terms for loans and other transactions. The judge imposed a fine of $354 million plus interest that took the total penalty to $454 million, which Trump will have to pay outright or post a bond covering the full amount while he appeals the ruling.
Trump has denied that he tried to deceive anyone through the financial dealings in question. His legal team has appealed the ruling in an effort to allow him to continue his appeal after posting a smaller amount or defer posting the judgment until the end of the appeal. The appeals court hasn't issued a ruling on the request.
His lawyers have said in court filings that Trump's team has approached over 30 surety companies that could guarantee the bond have thus far turned him down. They said that to obtain a bond, Trump would likely have to put up 120% of the judgment, or more than $557 million in this case, and that he would need about $1 billion in cash or cash equivalents to collateralize the loan to still have enough capital to operate the business.
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Fox Business' Eric Revell contributed to this report.