Former President Donald Trump seemed to shift his focus away from Justice Arthur Engoron to target New York Democrat Attorney General Letitia James with sharp criticism on the eve of the second day of his civil trial in Manhattan.
Trump stated before entering the courtroom today, “He’s been given false information, misleading information, and corrupt information by a very corrupt and incompetent Attorney General Leticia James,” Trump told reporters before entering the courtroom Tuesday. “This woman is grossly incompetent. She ran on the basis, ‘I will get Trump,’ without knowing anything about me. So, he’s been given this information that’s now been proven to be false.”
Trump directed his comments towards the evaluations of his properties, a central point in James’ pursuit of at least $250 million in fines, a permanent prohibition against Trump and his sons Donald Jr. and Eric from engaging in business activities in New York, and a five-year prohibition on commercial real estate dealings involving Trump and the Trump Organization.
Trump continued, “This case should be dismissed – this is not a case – and she should probably be dismissed also because she’s terrible and grossly incompetent,” Trump continued before concluding his brief remarks and entering the courtroom.
Trump, who is currently a prominent contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, stands accused, along with his two sons and several associates, of inflating the value of his assets by billions of dollars in order to secure more favorable loan and insurance terms.
This trial follows a recent ruling by Justice Engoron, the presiding judge, who found Trump guilty of fraud and revoked business certificates for companies controlling key assets in his portfolio, including Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street in Manhattan. Engoron indicated that he would appoint receivers to oversee the dissolution of these assets.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and his legal team has expressed their intent to file appeals.
On Monday, Trump attended the trial, making his entrance to the courtroom with his characteristic stern demeanor and accompanied by a group of Secret Service agents. Security personnel meticulously inspected bags carried by reporters and members of the public in attendance.
During the trial, Trump was observed sitting at the defendant’s table, occasionally conferring with his legal team. Kevin Wallace, an attorney representing James’ office, accused Trump of “lying year after year” in financial statements submitted to lenders and insurers from 2011 to 2021.
Christopher Kise, Trump’s lawyer, argued during his opening statement that Trump’s asset valuations actually underestimated their worth and were based on the business acumen that had enabled him to build “one of the most successful real estate empires in the world.”
On Tuesday, Trump continued his criticism of Attorney General James online, calling for sanctions against her and urging the judge to overturn the fraud ruling. He expressed his view that the entire case should be dismissed in a social media post.
In recent months, Trump has used his mounting legal issues as a source of fundraising for his presidential campaign, asserting, without evidence, that Democrats are employing unfounded court cases to hinder his return to the White House.
Despite facing four pending criminal cases and the attorney general’s lawsuit, Trump maintains a commanding lead over his competitors in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to polls.
Trump faces criminal charges in Washington for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, in Georgia for efforts to alter vote tallies, in Florida for handling classified documents upon leaving office, and in New York for hush money payments. In all four cases, he has entered a plea of not guilty while denying any wrongdoing.
{Matzav.com}
