New York Attorney General Letitia James has already taken the initial steps toward seizing some of former president Donald Trump’s assets, should he be unable to meet the $464 million judgment of his civil fraud case in the state.
Judgments have already been filed in Westchester County, which is the first step in trying to seize the golf course and private estate located just north of Manhattan, which is called Seven Springs.
The judgment is the first step in trying to recover property. Additional steps would have to follow, including placing liens on assets or trying to foreclose on the properties.
It’s also possible that James may seek to seize Trump’s more liquid assets, including his bank accounts.
But, going full bore on the seizure path would not be a wise one for James, as one pollster recently said.
If James were to go through with seizing Trump’s properties, she’s “going to elect Donald Trump,” pollster Frank Luntz said during a panel discussion with CNN last week.
As he explained:
“I want you to remember this moment and don’t forget it: If the New York attorney general starts to take his homes away, starts to seize his assets — it’s all going to be on camera, pundits are going to sit there and scream, ‘This man cannot be elected.’
“You’re going to create the greatest victimhood of 2024, and you’re going to elect Donald Trump. If they take his stuff, he’s going to say that this is proof that the federal government and the establishment in the swamp in Washington and all the politicians across the country and the attorneys general and all of this, that this is a conspiracy to deny him the presidency.”
Luntz continued by suggesting that if Trump’s assets were to be seized, he would likely soar up the polls, “just like he went up every single time they indicted him.”
Then, Luntz turned directly toward the camera, pointing to it when he said:
“I say this to the attorney general right now: If you play politics on this, this is what the secretaries of state did in Colorado, and what they did in, I believe in Maine, his numbers went up in both states.
“I don’t understand. I’m almost speechless in how pathetic the opposition to Trump has been and how completely misguided. And this is a perfect example of it.”
CNN reviewed records last week, which revealed that James hasn’t entered judgments in either of the Florida counties where his Mar-a-Lago resort and Trump National Doral Golf Club are located, nor in Illinois where his hotel in Chicago is located.
Trump last week posted on his Truth Social platform that it was “not possible for bonding companies to do in such a high amount,” echoing something his lawyers said recently — that he probably wouldn’t be able to put up the necessary cash needed to appeal the judgment.
