Trump takes on his toughest foe
Surprise, it's a woman
Before Donald Trump became President, he had no idea who Letitia James was and likely never ran into her.
Letitia James is a product of Brooklyn, Lehman College, and Howard Law School. Her political career has been about fighting for the working class and disempowered unapologetically.
Donald Trump is a product of Queens, Fordham, and Penn. His career has been about himself unapologetically.
In 2018, James was elected Attorney General of New York. Since taking office, she’s taken on the NRA, New York’s COVID response, Governor Cuomo, and the Trump Organization.
Letitia James is not the first NY Attorney General to take on Donald Trump, she is just the most thorough and relentless1. Considering how tough former NY AGs Eric Schneiderman and Barbara Underwood were in pursuing the Trumps and their “charitable foundation”2, it’s not faint praise.
Trump has two imposing legal dates before him — April 25th and May 11th. One is on a motion to impose a $10,000 a day fine on Donald Trump for failing to produce personal business documents. The second is an appeal of a ruling compelling Donald Trump to sit for a deposition3.
Trump cannot afford to lose either of these legal arguments, but the second is more important than the first. On the former, Trump need only turn over documents; on the latter, Trump will have to sit for a deposition4.
Once Trump sits for a deposition, being evasive, lying, or taking the Fifth are not good political options for him. They are, however, standard operating procedure for Trump in his business.
Trump has spent an inordinate amount of energy accusing Letitia James of engaging in a personal vendetta against him. Just this week, Trump said this:
“With the horrible Subway Shootings and Violent Crime in New York being at an all-time high, where people are afraid to walk the streets, the racist and highly partisan Attorney General of New York State, failed Gubernatorial candidate Letitia James, should focus her efforts on saving the State of New York and ending its reputation as a Crime Capital of the World, instead of spending millions of dollars and utilizing a large portion of her office in going after Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization.”
On her part, Letitia James has been a stone-cold prosecutor. Her mantra has been less strident and grating than Donald Trump. Just last month, she gave this statement in response Trump’s legal manuevering to avoid giving a deposition:
“Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump were ordered by a judge to comply with our investigation into Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. Despite continuous efforts to impede this investigation, no one can stop our pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful they are. We will continue to follow the facts without fear or favor.”
Trump is facing a foe who doesn’t rattle, shrink, or cower. Worse still, this foe seems to have far more superior legal skills than Trump’s lawyers.
https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-keeps-calling-ny-ag-letitia-a-racist-and-a-failure-2022-4
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/14/new-york-attorney-general-sues-trump-and-family-over-charity.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/17/trump-deposition-new-york-probe-00009847
In addition to Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr. and Ivanka Trump are also being compelled to give depositions. Eric Trump has already sat for a deposition.