People on social media have called for New York Attorney General Letitia James to prosecute late-night show host Jon Stewart as she did former President Donald Trump after it was reported that Stewart sold his city apartment for $15.6 million more than it was worth.
On Wednesday, the New York Post reported that Stewart sold his Tribeca penthouse in 2014 for $17.5 million. At the time, the 6,280-square-foot property had a market value of about $1.882 million, according to the City of New York's Assessment Roll 2013-2014, making the sale price roughly 830 percent higher.
The comedian did nothing illegal by selling his penthouse for more than market value, but social media users were quick to mention that James go after Stewart, like she did with Trump for inflating his assets.
James filed a lawsuit against Trump in September 2022, accusing him, his two adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, The Trump Organization and two firm executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeff McConney, of fraudulently overvaluing assets to secure more favorable bank loans and taxation deals.
Last month, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million, plus interest, and barred him from doing business in New York for three years after finding him liable for fraud.
Representative Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican, posted on X, formerly Twitter, "Look forward to Letitia James sending the NYPD to haul Jon Stewart to jail and seize his property."
Conservative Breitbart News shared an article about Stewart's penthouse sale and wrote: "Paging Letitia James, paging Letitia James...No one is above the law, are they?"
Carmine Sabia, the editor-at-large for Conservative Brief, posted: "Is Letitia James going to prosecute Jon Stewart."
Conservative radio host Andrew Wilkow shared Wednesday's article from the Post and wrote: "Paging Letitia James."
Stewart responded to the backlash he was receiving in an X post on Wednesday: "OMG!! I've been caught doing something not remotely similar to Trump! I guess all I need to do now is start a fraud college, steal classified docs, bankrupt casinos, pay hush money, grab pussies, discriminate in housing, cheat at golf and foment insurrection and you'll revere me!"
Newsweek reached out to Stewart's representatives and Trump's spokesman via email for comment.
Stewart selling his home over market value is vastly different from Trump's case. Homeowners are allowed to sell their property for however much they want to. He did not inflate the value of his property to get better loans, which is what James argued that Trump did.
Trump, the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, has claimed that he did nothing wrong, and the case is politically motivated. He has appealed Engoron's ruling.
When Engoron gave his ruling, James posted on X: "Today, justice has been served. This is a major win for everyone who believes that we must all play by the same rules. No matter how big, how rich, or how powerful you are, no one is above the law. Not even Donald Trump."
On Monday, when Trump's $454 bond was due, an appeals court reduced the amount to $175 million and gave him 10 additional days to pay it. The other defendants in the fraud case have faced their own penalties.
The Post article came out after Stewart slammed Trump and criticized reports that described the former president's asset inflation as a "victimless crime" on his program The Daily Show on Monday.
The comedian said that overvaluations are "not victimless crimes," adding, "Money isn't infinite. A loan that goes to the liar doesn't go to someone who's giving a more honest evaluation."
"Avoiding taxes hurts all of us," he continued, adding that "Donald Trump's shenanigans cost the city of New York."
The Post added that records also showed Stewart paid lower property taxes based on the penthouse's valuation.
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