Former assistant U.S. attorney Andy McCarthy joined ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss his take on Trump’s civil trial in New York City. Former President Trump testified on the stand Monday that New York Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James are “trying to hurt” him for “political reasons” while blasting the “very unfair” and unprecedented non-jury civil fraud trial.
The civil trial, stemming from James’ lawsuit against Trump, his family, and his businesses, alleges that Trump defrauded banks and inflated the value of his assets. However, Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that his assets were undervalued and that his financial statements had disclaimers requesting banks to evaluate the numbers.
During his testimony, Trump accused Engoron and James of having political motives, with Engoron allegedly cutting him off from providing lengthy answers and stating, “I don’t want to hear everything he has to say.” Trump defended himself and his businesses, stating, “We shouldn’t be having a case here because we have a disclaimer clause that every court holds up except this judge.”
Trump further criticized James, referring to her as a “political hack” and claiming that her investigation and lawsuit were driven by her ambitions to become governor or attorney general. He called the case a “political witch hunt” and asserted that James should be ashamed of herself, labeling her as the real fraud.
Engoron had previously ruled in September that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud by overvaluing assets and exaggerating net worth on paperwork. Trump expressed his discontent with the ruling, stating, “He ruled against me without knowing anything about me… He called me a fraud, and he didn’t know anything about me.”
Trump also took issue with Engoron’s valuation of his Mar-a-Lago resort, arguing that the property was undervalued at $18 million compared to its actual worth. He accused Engoron of being influenced by political bias and undermining his credibility.
The trial continues to unfold, and this article will be updated as new information becomes available.
Brooke Singman is a Digital politics reporter covering the 2024 campaign trail and can be reached at [email protected] or @BrookeSingman on Twitter. Stay tuned for the latest updates on the trial, exclusive interviews, and more political content.
