Former President Donald Trump says that no matter what the evidence shows in his civil fraud trial in New York, the judge will rule against him.
Talking to reporters Thursday ahead of his fraud case, Mr. Trump called New York Attorney General Letitia James a “lunatic.”
“She knows that she has a judge that no matter all the evidence, that judge is gonna rule in her favor,” he said outside the courtroom. “He ruled against me before the case even started.”
The former president is in New York to serve only as a spectator to his case Thursday while his legal team calls on an accounting professor to testify about financial topics.
Mr. Trump will take the stand himself Monday for the second time.
The case, brought by Ms. James, accuses Mr. Trump, his company and a few others of misleading banks and insurers by exaggerating his net worth and the values of some of his real estate, such as Mar-a-Lago in Florida and Trump Tower in New York, to get larger loans and better insurance rates.
The judge for the case, Arthur Engoron, has already ruled that fraud occurred, and the trial continues to decide on the damages. Ms. James is seeking more than $300 million and aims to stop the Trump family from doing business in New York.
The attorney general frequently shows up at the court and comments when Mr. Trump is there.
“Here’s a fact: Donald Trump has engaged in years of financial fraud. Here’s another fact: When you break the law, there are consequences,” Ms. James’ office wrote on X this week.
The former president maintains that he has done nothing wrong and that all of his loans have been paid. He also argues that those involved in the case have valued Mar-a-Lago at a much lower price than it’s worth.
“Nobody’s ever seen anything like it,” he said of the Palm Beach resort to reporters.
Since the start of the trial, Mr. Trump has bashed Ms. James, Mr. Engoron and others involved, accusing the case of being politically motivated. A gag order imposed on him by the judge has cost him $15,000 for violating it twice. The gag order had been temporarily lifted while his lawyers argued that it violated his First Amendment rights, but was reinstated by an appeals court on Nov. 30.
No specific end date is set for testimony, but it’s expected to wrap up before Christmas. Closing arguments are scheduled for January, and Mr. Engoron aims to have a decision for the case by the end of that month.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.