Trump denounces New York attorney general during rally following fraud lawsuit against him

Former President Trump railed against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) during a rally in North Carolina on Friday after James announced a civil lawsuit against him and his family business over allegations of fraud earlier this week. 

Trump traveled to the city of Wilmington, N.C., to campaign for Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) in his race for Senate against Democrat Cheri Beasley and for other Republican congressional candidates in the state. In his remarks, Trump said James’s lawsuit is the best example of “the left’s obsession with targeting political opponents.” 

Trump called James “racist” and slammed her for “ranting and raving” during her campaign for attorney general in 2018 that she would investigate him. 

“This is a gross prosecutorial misconduct,” he said. 

James announced the lawsuit on Wednesday after conducting a three-year investigation into allegations that the Trump Organization illegally inflated the value of its assets for the purpose of acquiring loans on more favorable terms and deflated them on tax forms. 

The lawsuit also names three of his children who have played major roles in the business, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, and James said in her press conference announcing the lawsuit that the former president received help from former Trump Organization executives Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney. 

The suit is seeking $250 million in financial penalties and asks the New York State Supreme Court to bar Trump and his children from serving as an officer of any corporation registered in New York. 

Trump said at his rally that the Justice Department should investigate James for “abuse of power” and that she should be removed from office. 

“These prosecutors are out of control,” he said. “They’re crazy.” 

Trump also criticized the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He pointed to eight of them either choosing not to run for reelection or losing their primaries to Republican challengers, specifically mentioning Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), who lost her primary, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), who chose to not run again. 

He said “one witch hunt after another” has happened to him during the past six years, including from the “unselect committee,” a reference to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack.