President Donald Trump addressed the courtroom despite Judge Arthur Engoron’s repeated attempts to stop him from doing so in New York today, stating: “The facts are the financial statements are perfect, that there are no witnesses against us. The banks got all their money paid back. There were great loans.”
The former President went on: “This was a political witch hunt,” adding, “We should receive damages.”
“We have a situation where I’m an innocent man I’ve been persecuted by somebody running for office and I think you have to go outside the bounds,” the 45th president said.
“What’s happened here sir is a fraud on me,” Trump said. “They want to make sure that I don’t win again and this is partially election interference.”
Engoron, however, stated his belief that “[t]here does not have to be any evidence of harm,” in the case against Trump, effectively confirming Trump’s assertions that the entire process has been a political trial.
NY Attorney General Letitia James is seeking almost $370 million from Trump, as well as a lifetime ban on him doing business in the state of New York.