Former White House lawyer: Trump has ‘no defenses’ in New York fraud case

Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb said in an interview on CNN Wednesday that former President Trump’s legal team had “no defenses” against the civil case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James over alleged business fraud.

“Trump had no defenses,” Cobb said. “And as the judge pointed out, I mean, his opinion is very detailed, very judicious, you know, littered with citations, appropriate citations and criticism of the defense arguments and highlighting the overwhelming evidence against him, but he basically points out that Trump relentlessly, as you have highlighted, you know, puts forth claims that simply are not true, that have no foundation, that cannot be supported by the facts.”

New York Justice Arthur Engoron ruled Tuesday that Trump had committed fraud by inflating the value of assets held in New York and elsewhere, and rejected the Trump team’s efforts to have the case thrown out.

The ruling in the civil case also resulted in the stripping of some of the former president’s business licenses as well as the ordering of an independent monitor to continue to oversee the Trump Organization.

Alina Habba, the former president’s legal spokeswoman, said Trump will immediately appeal the decision in a statement.

“Today’s decision is fundamentally flawed at every level. It is important to remember that the Trump Organization is an American success story,” Habba said. 

 “The fact that this Court summarily found that there is no question of fact, finding in part that Mar-a-Lago is worth approximately $20 million and issue a decision of this magnitude is an affront to our legal system,” Habba continued. 

James’s case followed a three-year investigation by her office. The case centered on whether Trump deceived investors and tax authorities by inflating the value of his assets when it suited him and deflating their value for tax benefits.

James accused the president of “falsely” inflating “his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us.”

Cobb served as a White House lawyer in 2017 and 2018, and focused on matters related to the federal investigation of Trump and the 2016 election. He’s repeatedly criticized Trump in recent months, including by comparing him to a mob boss.