Can’t win it, so he’ll spin it: Bush aide
Former President Donald Trump has given up hopes of winning his $250 million civil fraud trial in New York and is instead focused on spinning the issue to secure his standing as the leading GOP presidential candidate, according to a prominent legal commentator.
John Yoo, a former George W. Bush administration official, said that despite Trump’s defiance that he would beat the charges of wrongfully inflating his wealth, the 77-year-old excommander in chief was already “throwing in the towel” as the trial began Monday.
“I think that Trump has already decided he’s going to lose on the law,” Yoo told Fox News, citing Justice Arthur Engoron’s bombshell ruling last week in favor of state Attorney General Letitia James’ main claim of fraud.
In a 35-page ruling, Engoron sided with James and revoked the former president’s New York business licenses, which could hamper his longtime company’s ability to operate in the Empire State.
“So what I think President Trump has done is turn this all into a political strategy,” Yoo continued.
Before the trial began, Trump branded James a “racist” and Engoron as an “unfair, unhinged” judge who has a bias against him.
“This is a judge that should be out of office. This is a judge that some people say could be charged criminally for what he’s doing,” Trump said during the court’s break in the afternoon. “He’s interfering with an election, and it’s a disgrace.”
Yoo described Trump’s harsh words as “the acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention,” noting that bashing the judge will do nothing to help his legal standing.
“Attacking the judge for being rogue, saying the press, the main prosecutor, the attorney general, is racist. Now, there’s no way that this judge is going to find at all in the favor of President Trump,” Yoo said.
The tough talk, he said, is “all aimed at the political sphere.”
The legal scholar also doubted that Trump would win on appeal, arguing that judges would steer clear of the case or avoid reversing the facts presented in the trial.
Still, although Yoo said Trump would be the clear loser, he conceded that the case puts New York City at risk of being labeled as a commerce hub that conservative-owned businesses should avoid.