One of the many things that the states have done wrong in their own constitutions (which are VERY different than the federal one) is making the attorney general a political position for which people run. It probably works best having the attorney general under the governor unless a conflict occurs and then getting a special prosecutor, a neutral one.
People run for attorney general on political agendas all the time. “I am going to force Exxon to clean up its chemical waste in…” or “I am going to sue to get these illegal regulations out of the way of our businesses…” The position is inherently political.
Any incoming attorney general in New York state will be asked about his or her position on Donald Trump – and that might’ve been true before he was president, but certainly true afterward. If Letitia James ran for office – in part – on a platform that she was going to hold Trump accountable, it seems perfectly normal to us.
But Trump believes it is entirely “Unfair” (because all bad things that happen to him are unfair) and has asked a judge to throw the James case out. Interestingly, Trump didn’t ask that the case be thrown out upon it being filed. No, he’s made the motion recently, after James subpoenaed Trump’s kids.
Maybe he’s worried about what they’ll say? Maybe he just wishes all this bad stuff would go away and he could be king again. According to ABC News:
Former President Donald Trump has asked a federal judge in New York to halt a civil investigation into his business practices by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her in a new court filing of weaponizing her office to carry out a “targeted attack against a political adversary.”
Trump sued James last month in federal court to block her investigation into how the Trump Organization valued its real estate holdings. He is now asking for a preliminary injunction while the outcome of his lawsuit is decided and for James to recuse herself from the civil investigation.
NEW: Former Pres. Trump asks federal judge to halt civil investigation into his business practices by New York Attorney General Letitia James. https://t.co/nvhWSbUqFG [1]
— ABC News (@ABC) January 11, 2022 [2]
If the state of NY A.G.’s office has the goods on him anyway and will go forward anyway, James might want to say, “I’m happy to recuse myself, if that appears to be the problem.”
We are certain that Trump will be heartened and accept that result.
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[email protected] and on Substack: Much Ado About Everything [3]