New York state Attorney General Letitia James will emphatically not be stepping away from her ongoing civil case against former President Donald Trump and his business just because of the incessant and personalized antagonism from the ex-president on social media and elsewhere.
His harassment already reached the point just days into trial that the presiding judge issued a gag order covering potential comments from the former president (and others) about others connected to the case, specifically court staff. And Trump also continues targeting James herself, against whom the former president has encouraged unspecified action, leading to concerns that he is again spurring what could become real-world violence. The consistency with which opponents of the former president have faced threats to their safety and lives from his supporters is unfortunately well documented by now.
“Dangerous and racist comments will not deter me,” James said in a video message after the third day of the trial on her civil claims against Trump concluded. “The laws of this great state and nation apply equally to everyone — even Donald Trump. And it is my duty and my responsibility to ensure that the law is enforced and upheld, and I refuse to back down or to be bullied.” In the clip, James also briefly recapped some of the recent trial happenings, including the testimony that’s been heard, and she defended the legal basis on which she brought her case, denouncing arguments pushed by Trump himself that she’s applying laws inappropriately.
Meanwhile, Trump sounds as cuckoo as ever. Just on Thursday, he suggested his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida could be worth $1.8 billion, which you don’t need to know your way around real estate to know is absurd. The number would make the semi-frequented southern Florida property known for features like an inconveniently overflowing pool (relevant to the classified documents investigation at the Justice Department) one of the most highly valued properties in probably the world. (Trump’s off-kilter claims of value are a key part of the business fraud that James alleged.)
Today was the third day of our trial against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization.
Regardless of how many dangerous, racist comments the former president makes, I am not going to back down from my duty to enforce the law. pic.twitter.com/46aAa5APWj
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) October 5, 2023
