United States: New York Attorney General Letitia James has been targeted by former US President Donald Trump in his closing arguments in his civil fraud trial.
Trump requested to give the entire set of closing arguments on Thursday, but his request was turned down when he neglected to approve of the clause preventing him from using the courtroom as a platform for political campaigning.
In the race for the Republican nomination to challenge US President Joe Biden in November, the former president is currently in the lead.
After his attorney finished speaking, Mr. Trump was given a brief opportunity to make further remarks before Judge Arthur Engoron, who is deciding what sanctions to impose on him following a previous ruling that he and his company had fraudulently manipulated property values.
Mr. Trump seized the opportunity to criticize the state attorney general of New York, declaring, “They want to make sure I never win again. The despises Trump, and it would be a disservice if I were unable to discuss that.”
Ms. James filed the lawsuit, seeking a $370 million judgment as well as a lifelong ban from the state’s real estate market for Trump.
Mr. Trump declared, “I am an innocent man in a situation where someone running for office is persecuting me, and I think you have to go outside the lines.”
When Mr. Trump was about to conclude his remarks, Mr. Engoron tried to cut him off, but the former president retorted, “You have your own agenda, you can’t listen for more than one minute.”
In response to Mr. Trump’s remarks, the judge instructed Christopher Kise, the lawyer for Trump, to “control your client.”
Mr. Trump has numerous criminal and civil cases to handle before he can win the presidency again; this trial is just one of them. They cover everything from rape allegations to schemes to rig the 2020 election.