With his drawing to a close, Donald Trump has leveled unsupported claims of collusion against the New York attorney general for visits she made to the White House, continuing a pattern of the former president describing the against him as a form of political persecution.
New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2022, alleging the former president habitually exaggerated his wealth on financial statements, deceiving banks and insurance companies. James has asked the judge to impose $370 million in penalties and to forbid Trump from doing business in New York.
On the final day of the trial on Thursday, Trump shared a story from The Gateway Pundit, a right-wing website that often , that claimed James visited the White House three times between April 2022 and August 2023.
The website acknowledged 鈥渄etails of her White House visits were not immediately clear.鈥� But on Truth Social, Trump called the trial a 鈥渨itch hunt鈥� and said, 鈥淭he purpose of the visit was to illegally coordinate the prosecution of your favorite President, me!鈥�
There is no evidence Biden met with James during the visits, which White House logs show included many people 鈥� sometimes hundreds.
James attended an for Black women elected to office from across the country at the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to records released by the White House. Over 200 people attended.
On July 18, 2023, James was among attorneys general from seven states and the District of Columbia who met with Harris to discuss efforts to disrupt the illicit fentanyl supply chain.
And on April 8, 2022, James attended of Ketanji Brown Jackson鈥檚 confirmation as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. Over 400 people attended the celebration, according to the visitors log.
The White House said Biden did not attend the reception for Black elected officials or the discussion on the fentanyl supply chain. During the April 2022 event, Biden only made remarks on the 麻豆传媒AV Lawn and didn't greet attendees in the crowd, according to the White House.
Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, and his lawyers have repeatedly alleged coordination between the Biden White House and the prosecutors who have brought criminal cases against him, but there is no evidence that this is true.
Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 from outside the Justice Department, Jack Smith, to lead separate federal investigations into Trump. Officials have maintained that he and his team -- and not senior leaders at the Justice Department or White House -- have been solely responsible for all prosecutorial decisions.
James is not an employee of the federal government or a Biden appointee. New York voters as state attorney general in 2022.
The former president鈥檚 unsubstantiated claims against James also align with a long-used strategy of relentlessly attacking political opponents, including the use of . Trump has previously referred to James, who is Black, as 鈥淩acist A.G. Letitia 鈥楶eekaboo鈥� James.鈥� The nickname is similar to a term used to insult Black people.
James has said she isn鈥檛 bothered by Trump鈥檚 personal attacks.
鈥淭his case has never been about politics or personal vendetta or about name-calling,鈥� she said . 鈥淭his case is about the facts and the law. And Mr. Donald Trump violated the law.鈥�
Trump also , who presided over the civil fraud case this week, multiple times throughout the trial, accusing him of working closely with James.
Trump's campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
__
Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Eric Tucker from Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press鈥痳eceives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP鈥檚 democracy initiative . The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Christine Fernando, The Associated Press
