Donald Trump Jr. is accusing New York Democrats of “political persecution” in their drive to nail his father, former President Trump, the Trump family and the Trump Organization on criminal charges.
Mr. Trump Jr. singled out New York Attorney General Letitia James, who campaigned for the office in 2018 on a pledge to target the Trumps. She pronounced the then-president guilty of money laundering and other crimes. Last month, she announced her inquiry has shifted to a criminal investigation, apparently centered on taxes and land appraisals related to the Trump’s family’s business empire.
“I think it’s a political persecution,” Mr. Trump Jr. said Tuesday on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “And I know that because she literally campaigned on it. She was going to investigate the crime. The problem is it wasn’t as though she was part of the office. She had no idea. But in New York it is OK to try to persecute your political enemies, to try to target them, to try to hurt them. And they’ve been doing that for over five years.”
“They’ve been trying to create a crime because that’s what you’re doing in New York,” the former president’s eldest son added.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., another elected Democrat, has been working with Ms. James. He has empaneled a grand jury to investigate the Trumps, the Washington Post reported.
Mr. Trump Jr., an outspoken defender of his father who has 6.8 million followers on Twitter, is the Trump Organization’s executive vice president along with younger brother Eric. The senior Mr. Trump founded the real estate development firm in 1968, putting it on a course to becoming one of the most famous brands worldwide for hotels, condo skyscrapers, resorts and golf courses.
Mr. Trump Jr. told Mr. Carlson he moved to Florida to get away from New York Democratic corruption.
“If this was going on in a banana republic we’d be outraged,” he said. “When it’s going on in one of the largest states in America everyone seems to be silent on it. … You can do that in New York because it’s a Democrat-controlled state. There’s nowhere you can go. There’s no one you can appeal to because you end up with another leftist judge making the decision. And they’re just fine going after their political enemies.”
Ms. James targeted the Trumps for prosecution as a way to win the September 2018 Democratic primary.
She said in a campaign video, “He should be charged with obstructing justice. I believe that the president of these United States can be indicted for criminal offenses. We will join law enforcement and other attorneys general across this nation in removing this president from office. … It’s important that everyone understand that the days of Donald Trump are coming to an end.”
She says her star witness is the senior Mr. Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. He served prison time for tax evasion, bank fraud and violating campaign finance laws. The taxes and bank allegations sprung from his personal business.
Democrats and the FBI have targeted Donald Trump since his 2016 campaign. Democrats announced they planned to impeach him from the moment he was elected. Democrats also financed a dossier sourced to the Kremlin but its numerous claims against Mr. Trump were ultimately discredited by the FBI, Justice Department and Republican investigators.
Mr. Trump Jr. said, “Trump derangement syndrome has brought out the worst in all of the other side. But it is unprecedented. And again, it’s going on in America today. I think what people have to understand [is], if they can go after a former president, target [him] for years, imagine what they can do to the regular person.”
He said Democratic prosecutors are forcing the Trumps to spend “tens of millions of dollars” presumably in legal fees.
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.
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