Trump bashes trial judge, NY attorney general at Las Vegas event

Former President Donald Trump spoke about his civil and federal court cases during a Saturday event in Las Vegas, bashing the judge in his civil trial and claiming his federal case was retaliation for his complaints about the 2020 election.

At a campaign event at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, Trump criticized his civil fraud trial in New York, calling New York Attorney General Letitia James “racist” and accusing the judge of hating the former president.

“I have this horrible, horrible, racist attorney general in New York. We have a judge who’s a Trump hater,” Trump told a packed crowd at the country music nightclub in Town Square.

While Trump attacked the case’s prosecution and Judge Arthur Engoron, he avoided comments about the court staff.

The Associated Press reported that Trump was fined twice, costing him $15,000, for violating a gag order preventing anyone participating in the trial from speaking publicly about the judge’s staff. Both of Trump’s violations came within a week of each other.

The gag order is limited to court staff; it does not prevent public comments about the judge and attorney general on the case.

In front of about a thousand people, Trump briefly implored voters to “commit to caucus” — the slogan of the event — on Feb. 8 in Nevada. The state’s delegates will be awarded based on GOP caucus results, not the statewide presidential primary on Feb. 6.

Earlier in the event, the former president addressed his federal cases as well, claiming that he was indicted for “complaining about the election,” which Trump called rigged and fake throughout his speech. His remarks also focused on the southern border, his rivals and his indictments.

Contact Mark Credico at mcredico @reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.