New York State Attorney General Letitia James offered a double-edged congratulations to President-Elect Donald Trump but remained silent on the future of Trump’s civil fraud case related to the valuations of his real estate assets that she prosecuted.
In a press conference, an unsmiling James tersely acknowledged the election results but seemed to suggest the incoming administration would be belligerent to her office.
“I want to congratulate the President-Elect Donald Trump and, if possible, we will work with his administration,” she said. “But we will not compromise our values or our integrity or our principles. We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to this result. And my office has been preparing for several months because we’ve been here before, we’ve faced this challenge before and we’re prepared to fight back.”
However, James offered no remarks on the civil fraud case. The president-elect’s lawyers have filed an appeal seeking to either reduce or dismiss the $454 million judgment levied earlier this year. James previously stated that her office “won this case based on the facts and the law, and we are confident we will prevail on appeal.” But in their appeal, Trump’s lawyers argued, “There were no victims and no losses,” noting that Trump’s business partners “raved internally about their business with him and were eager for more.”
Photo courtesy of Ms. James’ office
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