Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, criticized the fraud case brought against former President Donald Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James, calling it a “friggin’ joke.”
Graham expressed his belief that James filed the civil suit for political reasons during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. He highlighted James’ previous attacks on Trump and her promise to make his life miserable if she became the attorney general of New York.
According to Graham, James has used Trump to elevate herself politically and is trying to get ahead at his expense. He also ridiculed the judge’s ruling that Trump committed fraud, pointing out that no one was defrauded and that the valuation of Mar-a-Lago at $18 million is laughable.
Judge Arthur Engoron has already found that Trump and his company misled banks, insurers, and others by inflating the value of various properties to secure larger loans and better insurance rates. The judge specifically mentioned properties such as Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Fifth Avenue apartment, 40 Wall St., Trump Park Avenue, golf courses, and an upstate New York estate.
In addition to ruling that some of Trump’s business licenses should be rescinded, Judge Engoron also ordered the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee the operations of the Trump Organization. Attorney General James is seeking $250 million in penalties and aims to ban Trump from doing business in New York.
On Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, the former president has criticized the judge, the case, and the attorney general. He sees it as another attempt by the Radical Left Democrats to prevent him from winning the 2024 presidential election.
Senator Graham echoed Trump’s sentiment, stating that he has never seen such hatred towards a political figure like what he witnesses against the former president. He believes that the left will stop at nothing to ruin Trump’s life and prevent him from becoming president again.