A Manhattan judge on Thursday called Donald Trump “just a bad man” in a scathing rebuke to a lawyer who claims the former president was unfairly appointed for investigation by New York Attorney General Leticia James.
At the end of the hearing, Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engorran ordered Trump – along with his daughter Ivanka Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. – to comply with the summons and testify under oath in a civil investigation launched by James into suspicious business practices. of the Trump Organization.
Lawyer Alina Haba claims that James discriminates against Trump because of his policies – and that he is part of a “protected class” that must be legally protected from its investigation.
Haba claims that Trump was discriminated against because of his “point of view”. (Trump called the investigation of James, who is Black, “racist.”)
James “feels so much contempt for this man because he was president, because he is Donald Trump and he can probably win again in the 24th,” Haba said during the hearing. “He has rights under the First Amendment. He is allowed to be a Republican. “
Engoron replied: “There is no discrimination in terms of views. I’m just saying there isn’t one. “
When Haba claimed that Trump was part of a “protected class,” Engoron replied, “Ah. What protected class is he in?
“His political speech,” Haba replied. “If he hadn’t been a Republican and not a former president who could run again, that wouldn’t have happened. So she discriminates against him for that. “
The judge and his official pointed out that the protected classes include race, religion and gender.
“Donald Trump does not fit this model,” Engoron said emphatically. “He is not discriminated against on the basis of race, is he?” Or religion, right? He is not a protected class, “the judge added.
“If Ms. James has anything against him, well, I don’t think so [of] unlawful discrimination. He’s just a bad person to prosecute as the state’s chief of law enforcement. “
After a two-hour hearing of the dispute, Engoron wrote in his decision that when the chief prosecutor starts investigating “a business entity, he reveals ample evidence of possible financial fraud and wants to interrogate several of the heads of legal entities, incl. namesake “, she has the right to do so.
If James did not investigate – especially after Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen testified that the company was “cooking the books” – it would be a “failure to pay”, Engoren said.
The three Trump “have the absolute right to refuse to answer questions they claim could incriminate them,” he wrote.
James is investigating whether Trump or the Trump Organization falsified asset values to obtain loans and investors and pay lower taxes.
Trump’s camp suffered a blow earlier this week after longtime accounting firm Mazars USA severed ties with the Trump Organization, saying 10-year financial statements were unreliable.
Engoron’s order gave the Trump troika 21 days to testify.
“Today, justice prevails,” James said in a statement.
“No one will have the right to stand in the way of the pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful it is,” she added. “No one is above the law.”
The decision is likely to be appealed by Trump’s lawyers.