OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump is headed back to New York City this week, but for a different case against him. The 45th president is scheduled to appear on Thursday in New York City to face questioning regarding Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit against him and the Trump Organization.
“James’ investigation is separate from the 34 counts of felony fraud that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg leveled against Trump last week. Thursday will be the second time the former president has sat down for questioning from James. He also appeared for a deposition with her office in the weeks leading up to her lawsuit late last year. In that instance, he refused to answer any questions, repeatedly invoking his Fifth Amendment rights,” Fox News reported.
“James, a Democrat, has been investigating Trump since she took office in January 2019. She brought a lawsuit against Trump in September alleging he and his company misled banks and others about the value of his assets. James’ claimed that Trump and his children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, as well as his associates and businesses, allegedly committed ‘numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation’ regarding financial statements,” the outlet added.
Donald Trump is set to make a return to New York to give a deposition in a lawsuit brought by NY AG Letitia James.https://t.co/qJ1gdqytlp
— BG 🇺🇸 (@suggmmaa) April 11, 2023
The latest developments come after Trump appeared in Manhattan last week for his arraignment in the case brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 charges regarding allegations that he falsified business records related to adult film star Stormy Daniels’ hush-money case.
Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a case involving his purported role in hush money payments to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, allegedly to keep Daniels quiet about an affair the two of them had in 2006.
New reports reveal that Bragg intended to target former Trump from the earliest days of his campaign for his current office, according to more evidence provided in a since-deleted Facebook post.
The deleted page, which was discovered by Real Clear Investigations reporter Paul Sperry, dated April 25, 2021, says, “Please join me on Tuesday in a conversation with Dan Goldman as we discuss the Dereck Chauvin verdict, Donald Trump, and what’s at stake for the next #ManhattanDA. #JusticeCantWait. #JusticeForAll.”
Sperry noted his discovery on Twitter.
NEW: This deleted post from DA Alvin Bragg's Facebook reveals ActBlue organized a fundraising event for Alvin Bragg and former Schiff impeachment counsel Dan Goldman to "discuss Donald Trump and what's at stake for the next #ManhattanDA. #JusticeCantWait"https://t.co/Ox9HqMeg0J
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) April 9, 2023
Goldman had previously served as impeachment counsel for Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, during Donald Trump’s initial impeachment trial.
The post also included a link to ActBlue, a left-wing Democrat-aligned fundraising software.
Sperry, on Saturday, also noted via Twitter: “Hill investigators looking into connections between Dem Rep. ADAM SCHIFF & Dem DA Bragg + Dem Judge Merchan hearing Trump case; Merchan’s Dem consultant daughter recently called Schiff a ‘client’ and Schiff’s impeachment counsel Dan Goldman has worked closely w/ Bragg.”
DEVELOPING: Hill investigators looking into connections between Dem Rep. ADAM SCHIFF & Dem DA Bragg + Dem Judge Merchan hearing Trump case; Merchan's Dem consultant daughter recently called Schiff a "client" and Schiff's impeachment counsel Dan Goldman has worked closely w/ Bragg
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) April 9, 2023
Goldman has since been elected to Congress, as noted in an earlier tweet from Sperry: “House sources say Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman of Manhattan — who prosecuted the first Trump impeachment & has been bragging to reporters about sabotaging GOP investigations of the Bidens — has privately consulted with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg about indicting Trump.”
BREAKING: House sources say Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman of Manhattan — who prosecuted the first Trump impeachment & has been bragging to reporters about sabotaging GOP investigations of the Bidens — has privately consulted with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg about indicting Trump
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) March 31, 2023
Famed Harvard Law School professor and attorney Alan Dershowitz said he believes that Bragg could eventually be disbarred for his case against Trump.
He appeared on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo ahead of the indictment, saying that having former Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen as a witness could damage the district attorney, Mediaite reported.
“I don’t think an indictment can actually come forward now after the comments made by [Robert] Costello,” the attorney said.
He said that “he has proved that the main witness is going to be a perjuring liar on the witness stand, and that puts the district attorney in a terrible position.”
“If he uses Cohen as a witness, he could actually lose his bar license. It’s unethical to put a witness on the stand who you know is lying, and he has to know that Cohen will be lying. Or he tries the case without Cohen, which would be very difficult, or he does the right thing: he drops the case,” he said.
Fox News’ Jesse Watters urged Republican legislators and the American public to “wake up” following the indictment.
The case pertains to Trump’s alleged participation in covert payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election regarding an affair circa 2006.
“I’m starting to feel it right now. I’m mad about it, I don’t like it. The country’s not going to stand for it. And people better be careful, and that’s all I’ll say about that,” Watters said following the news of Trump’s indictment.
“I don’t think the left understands what they’re getting themselves into,” Watters added. “This country is already teetering. You have people who feel rightfully persecuted just for being conservatives … this was a very controversial election, this was a very controversial president, there have been a lot of bogus charges that have been flying around recently.”
Jesse Watters tells Republicans to WAKE UP after Trump indicted by Soros-backed DA:
"The only way you get free Trump is by re-electing free Trump at this point. This is lawfare and Republicans have to wake up and fight fire with fire."🔥 pic.twitter.com/4V0mH51VqZ
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 31, 2023
Fox News host and top conservative radio talker Mark Levin blasted Bragg as well.
“There has to be an underlying crime. Well, people are saying, ‘Well, what is it?’ I’m saying, well, what underlying crime did Donald Trump commit? He didn’t commit any underlying crime, and he wasn’t charged with any underlying crime. He wasn’t charged with federal election violations, even though that’s not the jurisdiction of the D.A. There’s nothing here,” Levin told fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“But I want to get into something here. Donald Trump is a historic figure, or they would not be doing this. They would not be doing this,” Levin added. “There would not have been a January 6 committee. There would not have been a Mueller criminal investigation. There would not have been two phony impeachments.
“Listen to this America, there would not have been a warrant, which is inexcusable and an unconstitutional warrant in my view, an FBI swat team sent to his home. There has been in the course of the last few months five grand juries controlled by Democrats,” he noted further.
“Over what? You would have thought this man took money from the communist Chinese. You would have thought his son took money from the communist Chinese. You would have thought he is the criminal of this century,” Levin continued.
