Former President Donald Trump has continued to denounce the prosecutors and the legal system during the second day of his trial in New York. He was found guilty last week of overvaluing his assets to secure better deals. Trump reiterated his claim of a political witch hunt and accused New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the case against him, of being “very corrupt” and “grossly incompetent.” He also called the case a “sham” aimed at sabotaging his presidential aspirations.
Trump is facing criminal charges in multiple cases, with trials set for 2024, some coinciding with the Republican Party primaries. In the civil trial in New York, he does not face the risk of going to jail, but James is seeking $250 million in penalties and the removal of Trump and his sons from the management of their family business empire.
The civil trial centers on accusations that Trump, his sons, and other executives inflated the value of their assets to obtain more favorable bank loans and insurance terms. The judge in the case ruled that they lied to tax collectors, lenders, and insurers for years, exaggerating property values by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Trump’s presence at the trial allows him to publicly frame himself as a victim while facing legal challenges on multiple fronts.
