Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) hailed Thursday’s appeals court ruling overturning President Donald Trump’s $464 million judgement as “a resounding victory for justice, the rule of law, and the American people,” declaring it vindicates not only Trump but also “the countless Americans harmed by the Far Left’s illegal weaponized lawfare tactics” and warning that Attorney General Letitia James and her allies “must be held accountable for their corrupt actions.”
Stefanik took to X, framing the ruling as a clear vindication of Trump and a win for Americans targeted by partisan legal attacks. She called the judgment “outrageous and unprecedented” and described the case as a “sham … orchestrated by radical Democrat Attorney General Letitia James as part of her partisan witch hunt against President Trump,” exposing “a blatant abuse of power and weaponization of our judicial system to interfere in elections and silence political opponents.”
She detailed her own legal efforts, emphasizing her fight against judicial misconduct. “From the outset, I have fought tirelessly against this injustice. As a proud New Yorker and defender of our Constitution, I filed an ethics complaint with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct against Judge Arthur Engoron for his inappropriate bias, judicial intemperance, and repeated violations of judicial ethics including illegal political donations by his staff and unconstitutional gag orders that silenced President Trump,” Stefanik said. She added that she supplemented the complaint multiple times to highlight “the egregious misconduct that undermined public confidence in our courts and turned this trial into a political spectacle.”
She also targeted the prosecutor, filing complaints to disbar James for “blatant bias and highly inappropriate and prejudicial comments on social media related to this sham case,” underscoring her broader fight against weaponized lawfare.
Looking ahead, Stefanik framed the ruling as a victory for all Americans. “This ruling vindicates not only President Trump but also the countless Americans harmed by the Far Left’s illegal weaponized lawfare tactics. Letitia James and her allies must be held accountable for their corrupt actions, and I will continue to lead the charge in Congress to expose and end this weaponization of government,” she said.
She concluded with a rallying call linking Trump’s victory to defending American institutions. “President Trump has always put America First, and the American people stand with him. We will not allow Far Left Democrats to subvert our Constitutional Republic. Together, we will restore integrity to our institutions, Save America, and Save New York.”
President Trump praised the ruling as a “TOTAL AND COMPLETE VICTORY,” calling James’s case “FAKE” and highlighting the unanimous decision: “The Appeals Court has spoken — LOUD AND CLEAR!”
Donald Trump Jr. celebrated the decision as a “Massive Win!!!” declaring that the New York appeals court had “just THROWN OUT President Trump’s $500+ Million civil fraud penalty,” blasting the case as “a witch hunt, election interference, and a total miscarriage of justice … and even a left leaning NY appeals court agrees! NO MORE LAWFARE!”
The original judgment had exceeded $500 million with interest, based on allegations that Trump exaggerated his net worth in financial statements. The five-judge appeals panel ruled it unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on excessive fines. Attorney General James may explore further legal options, but the decision is a major setback to her high-profile prosecution.
For Stefanik, the victory represents vindication of her sustained criticism of New York’s judicial system and her fight to hold prosecutors and judges accountable for partisan overreach.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
