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New York Attorney General Letitia James has entered a not-guilty plea to national owe fraud charges successful a contentious lawsuit pushed by United States President Donald Trump.
On Friday, James appeared successful tribunal for the archetypal clip aft the Trump medication accused her of misrepresenting a spot concern to get much favourable loans.
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She faces 1 number of slope fraud and 1 number of making a mendacious connection to a fiscal institution, some of which transportation a maximum of 30 years successful prison.
Her proceeding connected Friday was held earlier a national tribunal successful Norfolk, Virginia. When asked for her plea, James responded, “Not guilty, judge, to some counts.”
Her proceedings is acceptable to statesman connected January 26.
Speaking to supporters afterwards extracurricular the courtroom, James characterised the lawsuit arsenic President Trump’s effort to wield the ineligible strategy against his political rivals.
She is the 3rd Trump critic, aft erstwhile Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) manager James Comey and ex-national information advisor John Bolton, to look transgression charges implicit the past month.
“This is not astir me. This is astir each of america — and a justness strategy which has been weaponised, a justness strategy that has been utilized arsenic a instrumentality for revenge,” James told the assemblage extracurricular the courtroom.
Paraphrasing the Bible, she reaffirmed her content that justness volition prevail.
“There’s nary fearfulness today. No fear, nary fear,” she said, starring the assemblage successful a chant. “Because I judge that justness volition rainfall down similar water, and righteousness similar a mighty stream.”
She was indicted by a expansive assemblage earlier this month.
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks to supporters successful Norfolk, Virginia [John Clark/AP Photo]The lawyer wide has agelong been a people of President Trump’s ire for years, stretching backmost to his archetypal term.
When James campaigned for her relation arsenic New York’s apical authoritative successful 2018, she denounced Trump arsenic an “illegitimate president”.
Later, successful her relation arsenic lawyer general, she brought a palmy civilian lawsuit against Trump, alleging that helium had defrauded banks and investors by substantially overstating his assets.
In February 2024, a justice initially ordered Trump to wage $355m successful damages arsenic a effect of the case, though that sum has since been thrown retired arsenic excessive.
Trump has consistently denied immoderate wrongdoing and has described that case, and the others helium has faced, arsenic politically motivated.
When Trump returned to bureau successful January for a 2nd term, critics feared helium mightiness usage the powerfulness of his station to nonstop retribution against his perceived adversaries.
On September 20, helium publically called connected the Department of Justice to instrumentality enactment against James, Comey and a 3rd individual, Senator Adam Schiff of California, who has yet to beryllium indicted.
“We can’t hold immoderate longer, it’s sidesplitting our estimation and credibility,” Trump wrote connected his online platform, Truth Social, successful a connection directed to Attorney General Pam Bondi. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Comey was indicted 5 days later, connected September 25.
Leading up to the indictments, a longtime authoritative named Erik Siebert was fired aft helium reportedly formed uncertainty connected the merits of the cases against Comey and James.
He was replaced by Lindsey Halligan, a erstwhile White House adjutant successful the Trump medication with nary inheritance arsenic a national prosecutor.
James’s lawyers person said that they volition contention Halligan’s appointment. Halligan personally signed the indictments against some James and Comey, a reasonably antithetic signifier for a high-ranking US attorney.
The allegations successful Friday’s lawsuit absorption connected James’s acquisition of a location successful Virginia. The Trump Department of Justice has argued that James said she would usage the location arsenic a secondary residence, erstwhile alternatively she rented it out.
That, prosecutors said, allowed her to get a much favourable owe rate.
James, however, has called the charges “nothing much than a continuation of the president’s hopeless weaponisation of our justness system”.
English (US) ·