A New York court finds Donald Trump liable for fraud

A court in New York has found former US President Donald Trump and his sons responsible for fraud and revoked the business certification of the Trump Organization, CNN reports.

The judge reportedly granted Attorney General Letitia James' motion for summary judgment, finding Trump, his sons, and others "to be liable as a matter of law for persistent violations" of New York state law. Donald Trump found the financial statements the Trumps provided to lenders and insurers for about a decade to be false and said they repeatedly engaged in fraud.

CNN notes that the decision is a blow to Trump and a complete rejection of his arguments that he did not overstate the value of his golf courses, hotels, and homes in Mar-a-Lago and Seven Springs in financial reports that were repeatedly used in business.

The attorney general sought USD 250 million in damages, a ban on the Trumps from serving as an executive of the company in New York, and a ban on the company from engaging in commercial operations for five years.

Trump condemned the decision in a statement, accusing the judge of "following orders" from the attorney general as the former president campaigns to return to the White House.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Trump said last month that he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if he were president.

Before that, he refused to call Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal because, according to him, it could harm negotiations with the Russian Federation.