Trump was confronted by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who declared, “I will not be bullied” and called his attendance at the trial’s opening days “a political stunt, a fund-raising stunt.”
New York:
New York Attorney General Letitia James hit back at Donald Trump on Wednesday over his virulent attacks on the $250 million civil fraud suit she brought against him, saying she will “not be bullied.”
“The Donald Trump show is over,” James told reporters after the 77-year-old former president left court at the midpoint of Wednesday’s proceedings.
Before leaving, Trump railed against James and complained that the “rigged” trial with a judge “run by the Democrats” was keeping him off the presidential campaign trail
“I’d rather be in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Ohio, or a lot of other places,” Trump added. But because I have a dishonest attorney general, I’m trapped here.
James said, “I will not be bullied,” and called Trump’s intention to watch the trial’s opening days a “political stunt, a fund-raising stunt.
African American James criticized Trump’s personal assaults on her this week as being “offensive, baseless, and devoid of any facts or evidence.”
“What they were, were awful words that incited violence, remarks that I would characterize as race-baiting, regrettably remarks that appealed to the very worst of our humanity.
The judge is already prepared to act, according to Trump. He is a Democrat, I say.
Tuesday, after the former president disparaged one of the judge’s law clerks in a social media post, Engoron issued a partial gag order against Trump.
Trump sat at the defense table with his attorneys on either side, and Engoron declared, “Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable.
Consider this statement a “gag order” prohibiting anyone from publishing, emailing, or publicly speaking negatively about any member of Engoron’s personnel, he stated.
Later, the post was taken down.
Several court fights
James has charged that Trump, his sons Eric and Don Jr., as well as other executives, massively inflated the worth of their real estate holdings to qualify for better insurance and bank loan terms.
Trump won’t face criminal charges in the civil trial, but James is requesting $250 million in fines and the expulsion of the former president and his sons from the leadership of the Trump Organization, the family business.
The business fraud allegations, according to Trump, are a “sham” meant to thwart his reelection campaign the next year.
Trump, his sons, and other executives were found guilty last week by Engoron of lying to tax authorities, lenders, and insurers for years as part of a scam that inflated the value of real estate.