It's no secret that Democrats are willing to do or try anything to keep Donald Trump out of polite society or elected office — from Joe Biden's divisive speech calling the former president and his supporters fascists to the DOJ's raid on Mar-a-Lago. But now, New York Attorney General Letitia James has opened a new front in the left's attacks by filing a 220-page civil lawsuit against Donald Trump for alleged "intentional and deliberate fraud."
Today, I filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for engaging in years of financial fraud to enrich himself, his family, and the Trump Organization.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) September 21, 2022
There aren't two sets of laws for people in this nation: former presidents must be held to the same standards as everyday Americans.
It's not just the former president James is after, either. Her lawsuit also targets Trump's three oldest children — Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump — and senior Trump organization executives.
As James outlined in a thread to farm attention and retweets from lib Twitter, her lawsuit seeks to get $250 million in civil penalties from Trump, ban the president's entire family from doing business in the State of New York, prohibit the Trump family from buying commercial real estate for five years, and get the Department of Justice — which is already investigating the former president — to open a criminal investigation into the alleged fraud.
Actions have consequences. We're seeking to:
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) September 21, 2022
??Make Trump pay $250 million.
??Ban the Trumps from running NY businesses for good.
??Ban Trump and Trump Org from buying commercial real estate in NY for 5 yrs.
??We're making a criminal referral to the U.S. Dept of Justice.
President Trump responded to the latest attack from Letitia James in a post on Truth Social:
"Another Witch Hunt by a racist Attorney General, Letitia James, who failed in her run for Governor, getting almost zero support from the public, and now is doing poorly against Law & Order A.G. candidate, highly respected Michael Henry," Trump said. "I never thought this case would be brought - until I saw her really bad poll numbers. She is a fraud who campaigned on a 'get Trump' platform, despite the fact that the city is one of the crime and murder disasters of the world under her watch!" the former president added.
A Trump spokesperson also reacted to the lawsuit in a statement to NBC News, saying "[t]oday’s filing is neither focused on the facts nor the law — rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General’s political agenda. It is abundantly clear that the Attorney General’s Office has exceeded its statutory authority by prying into transactions where absolutely no wrongdoing has taken place," the spokesperson explained. "We are confident that our judicial system will not stand for this unchecked abuse of authority, and we look forward to defending our client against each and every one of the Attorney General’s meritless claims."
As a refresher, Letitia James first ran for attorney general on an obsessive promise to take down Donald Trump — she said Trump was "fueling her soul" and "I look forward every day to suing Trump" — rather than protecting New Yorkers from violent criminals, deadly drugs, or illegal immigrants.
James' civil lawsuit comes as the AG seeks reelection in November after her brief run for governor imploded, leading her to drop out before the Democrat primary. That raises the question of James' commitment to upholding the law in New York — is she only running again to preserve her power as AG after failing to run an effective campaign for governor?