Former President Donald Trump lashed out Friday at prosecutors dogging him on multiple fronts, saying New York Attorney General Letitia James failed to prove her civil case against him while accusing special counsel Jack Smith of leaking details about the documents case in Florida.
Mr. Trump took aim at Mr. Smith after a CNN report said everyday workers at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida could be among people called to testify against the former president. The case involves classified documents that Mr. Trump took to his sprawling club and residence in Palm Beach and his efforts to stymie archivists who wanted them back.
The report says a plumber, maid, chauffeur and woodworker are among Mar-a-Lago staffers and contract workers who might be called to testify about what they saw, including boxes of sensitive materials. In his rebuke, Mr. Trump signaled his defense will pivot on the idea he was entitled to the documents as a former president.
“Fake News CNN just did a story, leaked by Deranged Prosecutor Jack Smith and his massive team of Radical Left Lunatics, that various people saw papers and boxes at Mar-a-Lago,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Of course they did! They may have been the boxes etc. that were openly and plainly brought from the White House, as is my right under the Presidential Records Act. I even supplied, upon request, Security Tapes to these Election Interfering Thugs.”
Mr. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, urged prosecutors to dig into classified records from President Biden’s time as vice president that were found in multiple locations used by Mr. Biden.
“What about all of the papers, boxes, and documents found at NUMEROUS Crooked Joe Biden places, like his garage floor by his cherished Corvette, or CHINATOWN where it was just learned that boxes moved freely in and out,” Mr. Trump wrote. “How much $’s have they spent investigating Crooked Joe on his much bigger boxes deal?”
Mr. Trump faces a trial in 2024 over the classified documents and separate trials in federal court and Georgia that accuse him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results.
He says he’s done nothing wrong and that the cases are part of a coordinated Democrat attempt to thwart this 2024 presidential campaign. He leads the GOP primary field by a wide margin in polls.
At the moment, he’s battling a civil case in New York that accuses the Trump Organization of submitting fraudulent financial statements to gain better terms on loans and insurance.
Ms. James, a Democrat, finished presenting her case against Mr. Trump, his sons and their family business at midweek.
The defense says Ms. James failed to prove her claims, so the Trump team asked Judge Arthur Engoron for a directed verdict in his favor.
The judge said he would take the request “under advisement,” though the trial is expected to resume Monday with the defense calling the ex-president’s oldest child, Donald Trump Jr., as its first witness.
“Judge Engoron should end the ridiculous Political Witch Hunt against me,” Mr. Trump wrote Friday. “I have TOTALLY WON THIS CASE, which should never have been brought.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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