Donald Trump Meets His Nemesis

Donald Trump will meet New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has brought a $250 million business fraud lawsuit against him and three of his children, this morning, the former president announced on his Truth Social page.

James has accused Trump of giving inflated valuations of his assets, including hotels and golf courses, in order to mislead banks and potential business partners. The former president has denied any wrongdoing, accusing James of being a “renegade prosecutor” who had embarked on a “self-serving fishing expedition.”

On Thursday morning Trump updated his followers via Truth Social, writing: “I will be heading downtown to meet with a Racist who leaked that I would be there at 9:30 A.M. The leak makes it much more difficult for the Police and Secret Service to do their job. This civil case is ridiculous, just like all of the other Election Interference cases being brought against me. If I had a fair judge, this case would have never happened. MAGA!”

Trump has repeatedly accused James, who is Black, of targeting his family because she is a “racist,” without providing any substantive evidence.

James filed the fraud lawsuit against Trump, the Trump Organization and three of the ex-president’s adult children, in September 2022.

Referring to Trump’s valuations of some of his assets, she wrote: “The statements of financial condition were greatly exaggerated, grossly inflated, objectively false, and therefore fraudulent and illegal.

“And as a result of that we are seeking relief, and Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization, his family—they should all be held accountable.

“These acts of fraud and misrepresentation were similar in nature, were committed by upper management at the Trump Organization as part of a common endeavor for each annual Statement, and were approved at the highest levels of the Trump Organization—including by Mr. Trump himself.”

Along with the former president himself, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are listed as defendants in the 200-page lawsuit.

James is seeking to recover $250 million from the Trump Organization and cancel its corporate certificate, effectively preventing it from operating within New York state.

The lawsuit could also ban Trump, and his three named children, from serving as the director of any New York state based business going forward.

Newsweek has contacted Attorney General Letitia James, and The Trump Organization, for comment by email.

Speaking to CNN in September, when the fraud case was launched, Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said the business tycoon denied any wrongdoing.

She said: “Today’s filing is neither focused on the facts nor the law—rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General’s political agenda. It is abundantly clear that the Attorney General’s Office has exceeded its statutory authority by prying into transactions where absolutely no wrongdoing has taken place.”

On April 4 Trump became the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges, after he was arrested and arraigned over alleged campaign finance violations.

The former president is accused of orchestrating the payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star, to cover up an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 president election. Trump has repeatedly denied all wrong doing, and suggested the case against him is politically motivated.

Trump is also being investigated over claims he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in Georgia, and mishandled classified documents.