Trump lashes out on social media after NY AG James files lawsuit on fraud claims

Former President Donald Trump assailed New York Attorney General Letitia James as "racist" and "grossly incompetent" in an indignant social media post Thursday, one day after she filed a sweeping fraud lawsuit against him and his family members.

Trump's post on the Twitter-like platform Truth Social called James "a terrible A.G. when it comes to protecting the people of New York State" and praised her Republican campaign rival, Michael Henry, as a "strong crime fighter." He also shared a number of attacks on James from news sources and other social media accounts.

In addition, Trump posted numerous messages apparently endorsing the view that he should run for president again in the 2024 election cycle. One headline reads, "Trump Should Announce His Candidacy Before the Midterms."

James announced a civil lawsuit Wednesday accusing Trump, three of his adult children and some of his longtime business associates of submitting years of fraudulent financial statements in order to achieve various financial benefits. The 220-page civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court seeks at least $250 million in damages.

She also said her office sent a criminal referral to the IRS and federal prosecutors in Manhattan to investigate possible federal crimes, including bank fraud and lying to financial institutions.

A spokeswoman for James' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's posts.

Trump's flurry of online posts came as he faces multiple other legal challenges, including a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice that led FBI agents to raid his Florida home last month.

On Wednesday, a federal appeals court sided with the DOJ over Trump. It allowed federal agents to resume their review of about 100 classified documents seized in the raid of the Palm Beach residence Mar-a-Lago.

Trump's posts about James were hardly his first salvo against the New York official, who campaigned on a promise to investigate the then-president. In a Truth Social post Wednesday afternoon, Trump denounced the new lawsuit as "another Witch Hunt by a racist Attorney General," referring to James, who is Black.

But his latest attacks on the AG came in a string of more than three dozen posts and re-posts that alternately amplified flattering articles about the ex-president and lashed out at some of his perceived political enemies.

He shared links from conservative news outlets with headlines such as "Trump Is The Greatest Man Alive" and "History Is Calling Donald Trump." He also shared negative messages about various figures including Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, CNN host Don Lemon and others.

In one post, Trump took aim at his former vice president, Mike Pence, as he once again suggested falsely that widespread fraud led to his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. The message came in response to the House passing a bill to reform the electoral process, which Trump claimed proves that Pence could have rejected states' electoral votes for Biden, rather than allow Congress to confirm them.

Trump also shared numerous messages apparently endorsing the view that he should run for president again in the 2024 election cycle.

Trump has suggested he is considering another White House bid but has not formally announced a campaign. Yet on Thursday, he re-posted the conservative blog headlines "Trump is running," "The Washington Establishment Fears A Second Term Trump" and "Donald Trump Must Be The 2024 Republican Nominee."