Embattled former United States president Donald Trump has posted a $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud case as the Republican presidential nominee said he was suspending his reelection campaign that turned out to be an April Fools’ fundraising bid.
The bail ordered by a New York appeals court last week was paid by a California outfit called Knight Specialty Insurance Company, which announced the “lifeline” in a document released by the court Monday.
The court originally set Trump’ bond at $454 million but reduced it and gave him 10 days to it.
The 77-year-old real estate magnate, who has once again clinched the Republican nomination, received the fine after Judge Arthur Engoron found him and his two adult sons guilty in a non-jury trial, ruling that they and his family company lied about the value of assets, deceiving banks and insurers.
They were accused of having inflated the valuation of properties such as Trump Tower and a building at 40 Wall Street in New York by billions of dollars to obtain more favorable bank loans and insurance terms.
The nearly half billion sum he originally owed had raised the possibility that New York authorities would move to seize Trump assets if he could not pay, but the reduction — and his finding a company to put up the bond, as announced Monday — has given him breathing room.
Meanwhile, Trump sent the abrupt message stating “I’m suspending my campaign” to supporters by email and text, accompanied by a link.
But clicking on it took users to a site inviting them to donate money to his campaign.
“Did you really think I’d suspend my campaign? Happy April Fools Day!” he wrote in capital letters.
Attacking family members
On Monday the New York judge presiding over Trump’s trial for allegedly making pre-election hush money payments to a porn star expanded a gag order against him to include the family of those involved in the case.
The move comes after the Republican presidential candidate lashed out at Judge Juan Merchan and his daughter in a series of posts on Truth Social.
“This pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose,” Merchan wrote.
“It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings, that not only they, but their family members as well, are ‘fair game’ for defendant’s vitriol.”
Trump faces charges of falsifying business records for payments made by his lawyer Michael Cohen on the eve of the 2016 presidential election to porn star Stormy Daniels to make sure she did not publicize a sexual encounter.
The case will kick off on 15 April and marks the start of the first ever criminal trial of a former president.
Asked by reporters if he would take the witness stand, Trump has said he “would have no problem testifying.”
Trump now has four criminal indictments to his name and faces 88 felony counts for a wide variety of alleged criminality.