Donald Trump’s legal debts might now exceed a half-billion dollars

A New York judge ordered Trump and his companies Friday to pay $355 million in fines, plus interest, after ruling that he had manipulated his net worth in financial statements.

The stiff penalty comes just weeks after Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexual assault. A separate jury last year awarded Carroll $5 million from Trump for sexual abuse and defamation.

Add interest payments on top of that and the judgments could deal a staggering blow to the personal fortune that remains core to Trump’s political appeal. He has adamantly denied wrongdoing and pledged to appeal, a process that could take months or even years.

In the meantime, here’s what we know about what Trump owes, whether he’ll have to pay up, and what comes next:

63 points

Over the last two years, Trump’s Save America political action committee, his presidential campaign and his other fundraising organizations have devoted $76.7 million to legal fees. Campaign finance experts expect Trump will try to spend PAC money to defray the cost of his judgments in some way.

“The likelihood of the Federal Election Commission in its current configuration pursuing these violations is not terribly great,” said Daniel Weiner, director of the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program.

Then the Federal Election Commission needs a complete overhaul … which will never happen but, one can wish it would anyway.

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58 points
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Yes. Bonds are not refundable .

Each appeal brings less wiggle room.

He’s already paid the 5 million from the initial settlement, his lawyers know that he can’t keep running away forever.

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37 points

It’s a civil suit, he’s not getting remanded into anything.

New York will auction off everything he owns first.

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7 points

Thank you, edited

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42 points

Of course not. Rich people are fucking weasels. How do you think they get rich? They weasel the system. They weasel the profits of other people’s productivity. They leave death and chaos in their wake. They lie, cheat, steal and rewrite the rules to suit them.

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33 points

It doesn’t matter if he “has to”, he won’t, period. Somehow this man is the real life opposite of the Lannisters, a Trump never pays his debts.

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16 points

He’s already paid the 5 million from the initial ruling

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23 points

Of course not. He has plenty of people willing to pay it on his behalf.

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25 points
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Political funds can’t be used to pay these fines. PACs apparently can pay for them, but he raised about 300 million from all sources including PACs for his first presidential campaign, so even if he manages to cajole this much away, it’s going to leave him in a substantially weaker position.

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23 points

And if all the money goes to pay for fines instead of ads, he loses and the criminal charges will come to bite. His whole plan is to get elected to buy time.

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18 points

Exactly. F*** that guy and I’m excited for him to lose again and then die, fingers crossed.

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16 points

And if his following of dupes donate all their money to him, to cover his legal bills, there is much less for down-ballot races. Hopefully he sucks up everything the GOP has and squanders it.

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8 points

That’s also money the #fascist #GOP can’t use to spread their lies.

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16 points

Man was convicted of fraud, it’s all he knows. A law forbidding something is for poor rubes, not a rich daddies boy fraudster. He’ll use any funds he can get his little baby fingers on, regardless of legality.

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10 points
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He can use any avenue he can lay his s***** fingers on, but he’s already paid 5 million and I will be shocked if he does not end up paying substantially more.

Can’t wait for baby hands to go down in flames. Coronary or otherwise.

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14 points

Political funds can’t be used to pay these fines.

Why not? Do you mean it’s illegal? Do you think that will stop him?

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3 points
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I mean that since political contributions cannot be used for these fees specifically, campaign funds won’t be accepted by the courts to pay these fines, if that’s what you mean.

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2 points
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8 points

I was thinking of PACs. And I would not be at all surprised if PACs fill up with foreign dark money to help Trump into office. Thanks, SCOTUS.

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8 points

Even dark money only makes safe investments that they have corrupt information on.

Dumps is proving an ever unsafer investment.

Also, f*** scotus

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