Lawyers for President Donald Trump argued that New York Attorney General Letitia James harbors bias against the former president in court on Monday.
Trump attorney Alina Habba highlighted that James began investigating Trump soon after she gained office in 2019, and that she promised voters during her campaign that she would “get Trump” if elected.
She went on to state that the Trump Organization’s valuations of its own property were not fraudulent.
“The state of [Trump’s] financial condition was undervalued,” she stated.
Habba continued by saying that prosecutors would have Judge Arthur Engoron believe that if you listed your house at once price but it sold for a lower one, then you committed fraud.
Trump’s defense team argued that Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida home, would sell for “at least” $1. billion, orders of magnitude above Judge Engoron’s valuation of $18 million.
Trump himself spoke to reporters outside the courtroom shortly after Habba’s statemnet. He argued that he has been “defrauded” by Engoron’s low valuation.
“We’re wasting time with this trial. It’s a disgrace,” Trump said. “The judge already made up his mind. He’s a democrat. He’s an operative.”