'The dumbest thing he could have done': Ex-prosecutor laughs at Trump's new cash boast

Donald Trump's Truth Social rant Friday in which he claimed to be sitting on $500 million in cash was met by a mixture of skepticism and mirth on CNN, with co-hosts and legal experts suggesting he likely doesn't have the money — and if he does it just opened up a whole new can of worms for him.

In an early all-cap post, the former president boasted: "THROUGH HARD WORK, TALENT, AND LUCK, I CURRENTLY HAVE ALMOST FIVE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH, A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WHICH I INTENDED TO USE IN MY CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT."

That led former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman to question what exactly the former president is trying to do as the deadline for coming up with a $454 million financial fraud bond looms.

With CNN co-host John Berman asserting, "If you're the appeals court, who's got to decide whether to reduce the money or not, wouldn't you look at this post on Truth Social saying, 'Wait a second, you just told me you have the money you were saying it's impossible [to find]. Why should we give you any grace here, if you're saying you've got it?"

ALSO READ: Convicted January 6 felon wants to storm the Capitol again — as an elected congressman

"That's right," Akerman agreed. "I mean, that is the dumbest thing he could have possibly done, to put that on Truth Social, because that is a direct admission by him that he has the money."

"Now, keep in mind, even with this operating money or cash that he supposedly has, if he doesn't pony up and put up a bond, [New York Attorney General] Letitia James is going to be able to go in and basically put restraining orders on all of his bank accounts, everything that relates to him, and all of that money is going to be tied up and frozen.

"So if he's really got that money, he's got to put it up."

Watch below or at the link.

CNN 03 22 2024 09 00 11youtu.be