(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump was back in court in New York City on Tuesday to watch the trial for a civil fraud lawsuit against him brought by state Attorney General Letitia James.
James alleges Trump and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and inflating his net worth to make deals and secure favorable loans and tax benefits.
She started investigating the former president in 2019 after his former attorney Michael Cohen testified to Congress that the politician had a history of misrepresenting his assets’ value. Although he originally planned to take the witness stand Tuesday, Cohen’s court appearance was delayed because of a health problem.
The former president didn’t need to be in court Tuesday. It’s believed he wanted to be in the courtroom to see and hear from Cohen.
“I don’t get cold feet,” Cohen wrote on X. “No one has stood up for truth to power more than me. I have a pre-existing medical issue that unfortunately needs to be attended to.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of the day’s court proceedings, Trump reiterated his feeling that the trial was a “witch hunt” and bemoaned that he would not be getting a jury.
“It’s a very unfair situation that they put me in. I want a jury; I’m entitled to a jury,” Trump said. “This is a case that should have never been brought.”
Although he has repeatedly complained about not having a jury, saying Tuesday he would not have gotten one even if he “begged,” Axios wrote that a court docket shows his legal team did not request one.
Along with saying he was being put on trial for political reasons, Trump also claimed his assets were actually “undervalued.”
“The financial statements are — the actual statement is very much less than the actual worth,” he said. “The actual worth is higher. So, therefore, it’s very conservative.”
A gag order was issued Monday in the federal election interference case against Trump.
It restricts Trump from publicly targeting the special counsel, court personnel or potential witnesses. The judge said in the order that Trump’s presidential run for office doesn’t give him carte blanche to vilify public servants.
He also has to abide by a limited gag order in the case at hand, issued earlier this month after Trump attacked the judge’s law clerk on Truth Social, the social media platform he founded.
Trump maintained his innocence as he left for lunch Tuesday but continued to blast the judge, Democrats and the attorney general.
He is expected to attend the trial throughout the week.
James declined to comment as she headed into court Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.