Trump Distorts the Facts About His New York Civil Trial

Former President Donald Trump made false and questionable claims in a brief press conference on Jan. 11 after the closing arguments in a New York civil fraud trial. The lawsuit, filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleges that Trump repeatedly inflated the value of his assets to bilk banks and insurance companies.

• Trump claimed lawyers for the state attorney general’s office “don’t have any evidence against us.” The judge has ruled there is “indisputable documentary evidence” that Trump filed false financial statements, but said there “doesn’t have to be evidence of harm to a third person.”

• Trump said his former personal attorney Michael Cohen “took back everything he said in court” leaving the state with no case against him. Cohen testified that Trump never specifically told him to inflate asset values, but he said Trump “speaks like a mob boss” and “tells you what he wants without specifically telling you.”

• The former president claimed that he had “won this case already” in an appeals court. He has not. The appeals court has allowed the case to proceed.

• Trump accused President Joe Biden of setting up “every one” of his civil and criminal cases — a claim that is not backed by evidence.

• He also claimed without support that the New York attorney general’s visits to the White House in 2022 and 2023 were part of “a conspiracy”