Former prosecutors wonder if Trump might have Putin pay off his fraud judgment

Two former federal prosecutors on Sunday mused about what might happen if Donald Trump decides to go to someone like Elon Musk or even Vladimir Putin to pay of his massive fraud judgment out of New York.

Trump may be in a legal bind after being ordered by Justice Engoron to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for overstating his assets in order to get more favorable loans and tax evaluations, according to experts. Engoron also limited which banks Trump can ask for a loan in New York state.

This left Andrew Weissmann, the former top prosecutor on former special counsel Robert Mueller's team, to wonder where the ex-president might go for the funds.

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"If Trump posts a bond for the huge NY judgments via a third party, say the likes of a Musk or a foreign country/person, that [would] be of enormous import to how he would behave as president," he said. "Meanwhile the GA court is fussing about the relative pittance shared between Willis/Wade."

Weissmann wasn't the only one in the comments curious about the money. Attorney Jeff B. Vockrodt wondered, "Guys didn't he just make $4B from Truth Social deal?"

Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance also took up Weissmann's concern and added, "Imagine a president openly beholden to Musk, Putin or MBS."

She continued: "It's well beyond emoluments clause territory. Andrew is dead on the money here."

Trump so far has not indicated how we will be paying off the massive sum, instead only insisting that he will prevail in reversing it in the appellate court. But legal experts have said that will be extremely difficult, with one analyst even suggesting Engoron went out of his way to make the ruling against Trump "appellate proof."