Former President Donald Trump says his civil trial is so unfair that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul ought to intervene.
Mr. Trump, in a series of social media posts, complained that crime is rampant in the Empire State but that state Attorney General Letitia James singled him out with the lawsuit that accuses him of manipulating his financial statements to gain favorable terms on loans and insurance.
“I don’t even get a Jury Trial. A blight on the New York State Judicial System,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Businesses are watching all over the world, and never coming in, only moving out. The Governor should get involved. Election Interference by my Political Opponent!”
Ms. Hochul wasn’t swayed, writing, “Sad!” on the X platform Thursday with a link to an article about Mr. Trump’s plea.
Unlike his looming criminal cases, Mr. Trump’s civil trial will be decided from the bench by the judge, not a jury.
Before the trial, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Mr. Trump was operating in a “fantasy world” and was liable for misrepresenting the value of some of his properties, handing Ms. James an early victory on one of her claims.
The trial focuses on claims and potential damages that Mr. Trump might owe.
Proceedings are coming to a dramatic head. Mr. Trump’s former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, testified against the former president and engaged in a testy cross-examination with Mr. Trump’s attorney.
The ex-president says Mr. Cohen, who flipped against his former boss years ago, cannot be trusted and offered lousy testimony. Mr. Trump also continued to attack the judge despite warnings to avoid insults against court personnel.
“He is a judge that found me GUILTY before the trial even started, and long before he had the real facts, like Michael Cohen collapsing and choking yesterday under cross examination, and completely admitting that I did nothing wrong,” Mr. Trump wrote Thursday. “He committed MASSIVE PERJURY, at a level seldom seen on the stand before. It was like watching the end of the best Perry Mason episode, where the defendant breaks down and cries, ‘Yes, I did it, I did it, I did it.’ This case should be ended, NOW, but this Judge and his ‘boss,’ Letitia Peekaboo James, will never let that happen.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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