On Thursday, a New York judge ordered that an independent monitor be appointed to oversee former President Donald Trump‘s business empire.
New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron granted the request of New York Attorney General Letitia James by issuing an order requiring the Trump Organization’s bank dealings and major asset sales to be supervised by a third party assigned by the court.
The order requires a 14-day notice to the court before Trump can dispose of any “non-cash asset” listed in his firm’s financial statement prepared last year.
The former president’s attorneys strongly objected to this order. Still, Attorney General James alleges that the Trump Organization has engaged in bank and insurance fraud during real estate transactions, overvaluing its assets by billions of dollars.
Thursday was the first time Trump’s lawyers faced James in court after she filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and his business in September.
Trump published a statement in response, saying, “A puppet judge of the New York Attorney General and other sworn enemies of President Trump and the Republican Party has just issued a ruling never before seen in America. It is Communism come to our shores.”
During a later rally in Iowa, Trump referred to Engoron as “a radical left lunatic judge in New York City who’s totally controlled by [his] worst enemies in the Democrat Party.”
“They’re weaponizing the Justice Department. They weaponized things that are not supposed to be weaponized,” Trump continued. “Companies are already fleeing New York, as you probably read … What they’re doing in New York is unbelievably sad, and it’s all coming from Washington D.C.”
Trump filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the attorney general that accuses her of trespassing on his right to privacy and aims to halt James’ civil case against him and his company.
“While James does nothing to protect New York against these violent crimes and criminals, she attacks great and upstanding businesses,” he said.