âIn just the first five weeks of the trial that began in October 2023 … Ms. James made over 50 highly inappropriate and prejudicial comments on social media.â
Ms. James had brought the high-profile, multimillion dollar civil fraud case against the former president, in which a judge is set to issue a ruling any day now.
Ms. Stefanik said that while Americans have the First Amendment right to express their opinions, state attorneys are âheld to a higher standard due to their unique role as officers of the court.â
She is asking the New York Attorney Grievance Committee to investigate Ms. James and temporarily suspend, permanently suspend, or disbar her.
New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron had presided over the bench trial and has been asked to consider penalties including a $370 million disgorgement of Trump Organization and to permanently ban President Trump from doing business in New York.
âPersonal Vendettaâ
The rules of professional conduct for New York attorneys state that officers of the legal system should uphold public confidence in the legal process and promote access to the legal system.
âA lawyer should further the publicâs understanding of and confidence in the rule of law and the justice system because, in a constitutional democracy, legal institutions depend on popular participation and support to maintain their authority,â it states, as cited in the official complaint.
It also states that lawyers should not engage in conduct that âadversely reflects on the lawyerâs fitness as a lawyer,â and other attorneys have been sanctioned by the committee for inappropriate media statements.
During the course of the trial, Ms. James made several speeches and gave statements to the media claiming that President Trump lied repeatedly and that he used fraud to enrich his family. She also posted a series of infographics on the X platform promoting the fraud case and captioning it âDonald Trumpâs art of the steal.â
Ms. Stefanik claimed that Ms. James pursued the case against President Trump as part of a âpersonal vendettaâ that began since he first took office.
Ms. James had long been vocal about her opposition to President Trump taking office, and Ms. Stefanik cited quotes in which she said Ms. James âbraggedâ about her leadership in the âresistanceâ movement against him.
âBefore she became a candidate for Attorney General, Ms. James displayed extreme partisan hostility toward President Trump. During President Trumpâs first year in office, Ms. James led âdie-inâ protests against President Trump because âwe are all being killed by this administration,â the complaint reads.
âIâve been leading the resistance against Donald Trump in NYC and will only continue to do so in every way possible,â she said in an Associated Press interview in 2017.
In September 2023, when Ms. James brought the lawsuit, several articles about Ms. Jamesâs history of targeting President Trump were published highlighting her record of âresistance.â
After the trial began on Oct. 2, 2023, the Trump campaign also uncovered several video clips of Ms. James from her time campaigning for the attorney generalâs office. She had campaigned to âget Trumpâ and made comments about how she looked forward to going to work everyday, âsuing him, and going home.â
It wasnât just campaign speeches, Ms. Stefanik said, adding that Ms. James used her opposition to President Trump in fundraising as well, asking donors to help in her âfight against Donald Trump.â
All these serve as a basis for disciplinary action, as Ms. James should have instead distanced herself from any official action involving President Trump, the representative said.
âDespite her clear bias, Ms. James has launched frivolous investigations and lawsuits against President Trump, his family, and his businesses,â the complaint reads. âMs. James also prejudged evidence she had not seen and called for criminal indictments on that basis.â
Ms. Jamesâs comments and actions have drawn criticism from Democrats as well.
âItâs essential that prosecutors maintain their neutrality and an objective view of the facts and the evidence, no matter the politics involved,â he said.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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