(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Law professor and author Jonathan Turley suggested Sunday that New York Attorney General Letitia James’s “lawfare” is falling apart.
In an op-ed for The Hill, Turley wrote that “the political success of James in weaponizing her office has been in stark contrast with her legal setbacks in courts.”
He wrote that “the thrill may be gone,” recounting how several of James’s controversial cases have faced scrutiny in legal appeals.
“This week, two of James’s best-known campaigns were struggling in court,” Turley added, citing the infamous civil case against President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization.
The case is currently under appeal, with judges raising questions about the $464 million fine imposed on Trump by leftist Judge Arthur Engoron.
Engoron concurred with James’s claims that Trump allegedly inflated his properties’ values to secure generous loans, all of which were paid on time.
“Not only where the banks fully paid on the loans and made considerable profits, but they wanted to make additional loans to the Trump organization,” Turley wrote.
He cited Justice David Friedman, who told James that the law “is supposed to protect the market and the consumers — I don’t see it here.”
Justice Peter Moulton echoed Friedman’s remarks, labeling the “immense penalty” as “troubling.”
According to Turley, Moulton questioned, “How do you tether the amount that was assessed by [Engoron] to the harm that was caused here where the parties left these transactions happy?”
The legal scholar suggested that James may not care about the appeals court’s criticism of her cases.
“In the end, James knows her audience, and it is not appellate judges. It does not matter to her if she is found to be violating the Constitution or abusing opponents. She has converted the New York legal system into a series of thrill-kills.”
He concluded, “For some judges, however, the thrill may be gone.”
James’s press office did not respond to Headline USA’s request for comments before this piece’s publication.
