The New York attorney general has urged a state judge to reject Donald Trump’s attempt to delay his civil fraud case against him, saying the former US president could use his 2024 White House run as an excuse to a longer delay.
In a court filing Wednesday night, Attorney General Letitia James said her office had provided Trump and other defendants with an «enormous amount» of material, including 1.7 million documents and interview transcripts from 56 witnesses. .
He said that negates their request for an additional six months to gather evidence to adequately defend themselves at trial, now scheduled for October 2, and accused them of delaying in conducting their own witness statements.
“The record that the defendants have and are compiling is more than sufficient to provide them with due process and prevent the trial from becoming a game of surprises,” James said.
“When the calendar changes to 2024, Donald J. Trump will be in the middle of a campaign for president,” he added. «The defendants have used his campaign as a reason for delay in both 2016 and 2020. There is no reason to believe that 2024 will be any different.»
Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Arthur Engoron, the judge overseeing the case, has scheduled a hearing for March 21 to consider the trial schedule.
James sued Trump, three of his adult children, the Trump Organization and others last September, following a three-year investigation.
The $250 million lawsuit concerns an alleged decade-long scheme to manipulate more than 200 asset valuations and Trump’s net worth to get better terms from banks and insurers.
Trump, a Republican, called the James case a partisan witch hunt. James is a Democrat.
The case is separate from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal investigation into a hush money payment to keep porn star Stormy Daniels quiet ahead of the 2016 presidential election about her alleged affair with Trump.