Republican presidential candidate Larry Elder told Newsmax on Monday that New York Attorney General Letitia James' prosecution of former President Donald Trump for fraud should have consequences for her as well.
"I think all of these [cases] are just examples of our two-tiered system of justice," Elder said during an appearance on "National Report." "This is a woman who ran promising to get Donald Trump. This is a civil action.
"The argument essentially is that Donald Trump overstated the value of his properties in order to get loans. That's the issue banks should be having with him, and, to my knowledge, no bank has complained; he's paid back all the loans, so I don't really see what the problem is. It's shocking that a real estate developer would exaggerate the value of his properties? Come on, completely unfair."
"The job of a prosecutor is not to get anybody," he continued. "The job of a prosecutor is to do justice. You campaign to get somebody before one word of testimony has been taken? Completely unfair, outrageous! It seems to me that's grounds for almost disbarment."
The lawsuit brought by James accuses Trump and his company of defrauding banks, insurers, and others by habitually lying about the value of his assets in financial statements.
In a partial summary judgment last week, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump committed fraud in his business dealings. Engoron will decide the six other claims in the lawsuit next, as it is a nonjury trial.
James' prosecution of Trump "just continues this whole stuff" that began with "calling Donald Trump an election denier," Elder said.
"What Donald Trump did on the first week of January [2021] was to make the same argument the Democrats made in 2000 after they lost and they tried to decertify Florida, the same argument that they made in 2004 when they lost and tried to decertify Ohio," he said. "They challenged nine states in 2016 when they lost, versus Trump's six states that he challenged in 2020. Nobody called them election deniers. Nobody prosecuted them and their lawyers were not facing disbarment. It's just, to me, outrageous. I'm not even sure why people like [former New Jersey Gov.] Chris Christie can't see this."
Christie is also seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination and has repeatedly criticized Trump's conduct following the 2020 presidential election.
The New York attorney general is reportedly seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York. If Engoron's ruling from last week is upheld, it could force Trump to give up properties in New York, including Trump Tower, a suburban estate, golf courses and a Wall Street office building.
Trump, currently the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has denied wrongdoing.
Elder saw one silver lining in the list of requests from James, however.
"At least she's not asking for him to be deported," he said jokingly.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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