Trump levels unsupported collusion claims against New York attorney-general as civil fraud trial wraps up - The Globe and Mail
By: globeandmail (The Globe and Mail)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
With his civil fraud trial drawing to a close, Donald Trump has levelled unsupported claims of collusion against the New York attorney-general for visits she made to the White House, continuing a pattern of the former president describing the multiple cases against him as a form of political persecution.
New York Attorney-General Letitia James sued Trump in 2022, alleging the former president habitually exaggerated his wealth on financial statements, deceiving banks and insurance companies. James has asked the judge to impose $370 million in penalties and to forbid Trump from doing business in New York.
On the final day of the trial on Thursday, Trump shared a story from The Gateway Pundit, a right-wing website that often spreads misinformation, that claimed James visited the White House three times between April 2022 and August 2023.
The website acknowledged "details of her White House visits were not immediately clear." But on Truth Social, Trump called the trial a "witch hunt" and said, "The purpose of the visit was to illegally co-ordinate the prosecution of your favourite President, me!"
There is no evidence Biden met with James during the visits, which White House logs show included many people - sometimes hundreds.
James attended an Aug. 31, 2023, reception for Black women elected to office from across the country at the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to records released by the White House. Over 200 people attended.
On July 18, 2023, James was among attorneys general from seven states and the District of Columbia who met with Harris to discuss efforts to disrupt the illicit fentanyl supply chain.
And on April 8, 2022, James attended a celebration of Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. Over 400 people attended the celebration, according to the visitors log.
The White House said Biden did not attend the reception for Black elected officials or the discussion on the fentanyl supply chain. During the April 2022 event, Biden only made remarks on the South Lawn and didn't greet attendees in the crowd, according to the White House.
Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, and his lawyers have repeatedly alleged co-ordination between the Biden White House and the prosecutors who have brought criminal cases against him, but there is no evidence that this is true.
Attorney-general Merrick Garland in 2022 appointed a special counsel from outside the Justice Department, Jack Smith, to lead separate federal investigations into Trump. Officials have maintained that he and his team - and not senior leaders at the Justice Department or White House - have been solely responsible for all prosecutorial decisions.
James is not an employee of the federal government or a Biden appointee. New York voters re-elected her as state attorney-general in 2022.
The former president's unsubstantiated claims against James also align with a long-used strategy of relentlessly attacking political opponents, including the use of racist language against Black prosecutors. Trump has previously referred to James, who is Black, as "Racist A.G. Letitia 'Peekaboo' James." The nickname is similar to a term used to insult Black people.
James has said she isn't bothered by Trump's personal attacks.
"This case has never been about politics or personal vendetta or about name-calling," she said outside court. "This case is about the facts and the law. And Mr. Donald Trump violated the law."
Trump also disparaged Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over the civil fraud case this week, multiple times throughout the trial, accusing him of working closely with James.
Trump's campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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Trump has lied about hundreds of people over the past 8 years. In 2024 lets put an end to this travesty.
Hard to stop this when so many believe whatever he says and so many others ignore his wrongdoings and his abysmal character because they will, demonstrably, vote for whoever is the GOP nominee — no matter what the individual has done or how reckless he is.
"New York Attorney-General Letitia James sued Trump in 2022, alleging the former president habitually exaggerated his wealth on financial statements, deceiving banks and insurance companies. James has asked the judge to impose $370 million in penalties and to forbid Trump from doing business in New York."
This simply amounts to malicious prosecution. But the way the left habitually uses and abuses the law and attempts to manipulate the courts, the possibility of collusion between these authorities and the Biden administration is not out of the question.
According to some experts, what Trump is accused of is standard operating practice in real estate development.
Shark Tank Host Eviscerated NY's Fraud Case Against Trump in Less Than Five Minutes (townhall.com)
Kevin O'Leary Shocks CNN Audience by Completely Eviscerating Letitia James' Case Against Trump – RedState
What?? Donald Trump made an absurd claim without evidence? How unlike him! How unexpected!
/s