MSNBC legal analyst Rebecca Roiphe said Thursday that Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James made a “tactical error” by criticizing former President Donald Trump on Wednesday after his court appearance.
Speaking to reporters after the third day of hearings in the civil suit brought by James herself, she said the “Donald Trump show is over.”
“This was nothing more than a political stunt. A fund-raising stop, and now we can continue to go forward with our trial, and we are confident that justice will be served.”
“What do you make of her comments and what do you see as the impact of Trump being in court the last few days?” host Ana Cabrera asked. (RELATED: Judge Hits Trump With Gag Order)
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“I think this was a tactical error on the part of Attorney General James. She is already vulnerable to the repeated attacks that this is politically motivated, even if it is not, she opened herself up to that by campaigning on the repeated statement that she was going to go after Trump. And therefore, I think this statement was not wise,” Roiphe said. “She should have remained silent and allowed him to open himself up to these sorts of arguments by others rather than stepping in right here. But that said, you know, it’s very hard when there is a defendant like the former president who plays to the media to remain silent and not try to counter his message that he’s delivering.”
Trump appeared in a New York court in the civil case brought against him by James. James sued Trump in Sept. 2022, accusing him of committing fraud to secure more favorable terms for loans. Trump has described the case as a “witch hunt” and a “sham” to hurt his re-election campaign.