Former U.S. Assistant District Attorney Andy McCarthy said New York Attorney General Letitia James’ “vindictive case” against former President Donald Trump is the reason she got elected.
Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., appeared at the courthouse Monday morning to testify in the case James brought against Trump Jr., his father and his brother Eric in September 2022 for allegedly committing fraud and overvaluing Trump’s property and wealth to get more favorable loans. James is seeking $250 million in damages and to permanently prohibit the defendants from doing business in New York or applying for any loans in the state for five years.
Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump, previously accused James of only appearing in court when there is “heavy press” and said James unsuccessfully “manages her PR.” McCarthy disagreed, saying James does in fact handle her public relations well due to the “political prosecution” against Trump and his two sons.
“Well, I think she does manage her PR pretty well because this is a very political prosecution. She is an elected official. I think it’s better to think of her as an elected Democrat than a law enforcement officer, and bringing this case is what got her elected. I mean, she campaigned in blue, blue New York that she’d go after Trump,” McCarthy said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” Monday.
McCarthy also said the younger Trump’s testimony is not “critical” due to Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling that the family is liable for fraud. He said it would be more useful to bring in officers from the financial institutions and insurance companies who transacted with the Trump Organization to testify. (RELATED: ‘They’re All Corrupt People’: Trump Says Civil Fraud Case Is An Attempt To ‘Hurt’ Him In 2024)
“What I fear, though, is that this is such a vindictive case by the state. If you were running an insurance company or a bank, would you want to go in and testify in front of Trump, knowing how retributive they are when they’re dealing just with Trump?” McCarthy said.
Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik filed a complaint to the New York State Commission Friday, accusing Engoron of “not honoring” Trump’s “rights to due process and a fair trial.” McCarthy responded by saying New York has a “political system” rather than a “judicial system,” calling Engoron “an elected Democrat.”