Chido Nwangwu writes about the furore generated by the law suit instituted by New York Attorney General, Letitia James, against former US President, Donald Trump, over allegations of fraud
It was Carl von Clausewitz, the famous German military theorist, who brought forward his remarkable definition of war as “the continuation of politics by other means.”
At a press conference, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, the New York Attorney General Letitia James, metaphorically, dropped bombs on former president Donald J Trump, Trump Organization and three of Trump’s children.
James and Trump have been fighting this war for a while. This time it was brought probably closer to the attention of Americans and the global business community. It was a press conference for a lawsuit, with more than 200 instances of fraud covering 10 years, and showing investigations and evidences, as claimed.
James’ office details what it says are Trump’s efforts to inflate his personal net worth to attract favorable loan agreements and alleges
claim to have many evidences of wrongdoing by Mr. Trump and his cohorts! In a short sentence, it seems, we’re witnessing “the continuation of politics by other means.”
James counts among the most influential public officials in the United States, currently. She does not minimize or hide her ideological banner as an activist liberal.
James, an African-American woman, has become Donald Trump’s lost nightmare! Interestingly whenever she speaks about Donald Trump’s business methods and politics, you can tell she has a severe disdain for almost anything Trump! She is also a politician who goes through election fights.
She insists she’s just following the law and track of investigations into Mr. Trump’s businesses and alleged shenanigans. New York like fighters! Letitia James I have noticed for a number of years has shown that she’s a fighter. Especially for the progressive wing of the Democratic party in New York and parts the United States.
It is basic political positioning and strategy that if you can defeat a major social fugure and political juggernaut such as the bombastic Trump, be it in New York, Saskatchewan or Burundi, it’s a big deal!
Moreso, if she proves her case against the former President of the United States and consequently take down Mr. Trump, in the realistic but twisted ways, a lot of political advantages will come her way.
She’s suing Trump & Co and charging them for large-scale business fraud, including inflated values of its properties in order to use same to seek bank loans or deflated them to pay less in taxes.
James cites, for example, Mar-a-Lago, the suit alleges was valued at $739m. James’ office said it should have been around $75m, and is sending a criminal referral to the IRS and U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan.
She alleged “With the help of his children and senior executives at the Trump Organization, Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and cheat the system.”
Trump has also attacked the New York AG-led investigation as a politicized “witch hunt…. She is a fraud who campaigned on a ‘get Trump’ platform, despite the fact that the city is one of the crime and murder disasters of the world under her watch!”
I bombed the key claims of the lawsuits against Donald Trump is that he allegedly “repeatedly and persistently manipulated the value of assets to induce banks to lend money… on more favorable terms than would otherwise have been available to the company.”
Like I stated here, not long ago, it was the incisive American journalist, the late Ambrose Bierce who defined politics as “A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.” I note, as a matter of claim, that Trump has alleged same against Letitia James! He has gone as far as painting the investigation and allocations against him as self-serving for James! Trump has also called James a “racist.”
New York AG James stated that: “For too long, powerful, wealthy people in this country have operated as if the rules do not apply to them. Donald Trump stands out as among the most egregious examples. Trump thought he could get away with the art of the steal but today that conduct ends.” But I must say that Trump is a cat with nine lives!
The billion dollar question is whether the master of blustery language, the giddy, former face of New York bring his tattered but artful bag of legal technicalities to outwit New York’s Attorney General.
Or has Trump, finally, come up against a rock, a hardplace and a very tough Black woman? It will be quite ironic and interesting if….
-Nwangwu is Founder & Publisher of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline.com
Follow him @Chido247
