Trump’s lawyers say it’s “impossible” to pay New York fine

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump on Monday argued in a court filing that their client was unable to pay a lower court’s fine so that he could appeal its ruling. New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron earlier this year ruled that Trump had to pay roughly $464 million in fines for business fraud in New York. That amount includes $10 million his sons, Don Jr. and Eric, were also ordered to pay. A New York Appeals Court Judge had previously ruled that Trump and his organization had to pay the fine imposed by Engoron before he could appeal Engoron’s decision.

Why did Trump say that he was unable to pay this fine? In the filing, Trump’s lawyers argued that it had made “diligent efforts” to secure the funding necessary to pay the fine. His team said those efforts included contacting roughly 30 surety companies, all of which refused to provide him with the funding necessary. Therefore, Trump’s lawyers called paying the fine “a practical impossibility.”

Dig deeper: Read Grace Snell’s report in WORLD Magazine about how Trump has been able to spin his legal woes into campaign funding.