Local political science expert explains impact of lawsuit against former President Donald Trump

NYC Attorney General Letitia James accused the former president and his kids of 200 alleged instances of fraud over 10 years

LYNCHBURG, Va. – After NYC’s Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against former president Donald Trump, questions were raised, including what kind of political impact the lawsuit might have.

10 News reached out to the Chairman of Political Science at the University of Lynchburg, Dr. David Richards, to ask how the lawsuit could impact politics.

“I think his supporters will shrug this off as a political move and just one more thing. And people who didn’t like him in the first place, this is just more evidence that they were right,” Richards said.

With the announcement of the lawsuit coming down on Wednesday, Richards said it’s still very early to tell what sort of political impact there will be.

“I’m not sure how this will change the game dramatically and certainly for the midterms before November, I don’t expect to see a whole lot of movement on this,” Richards said. “Now in terms of a year from now when the presidential election is starting to get in full swing … maybe this investigation or indictment process will be further along and that might start to have an impact.”

This lawsuit is just the latest added to a list of multiple allegations against the former president.

In the suit, which runs more than 200 pages, James’ office details what it says are the former president’s efforts to inflate his net worth to attract favorable loan agreements.

Donald Trump has still not officially announced a campaign to run for President in 2024.


About the Author

Connor Dietrich joined the 10 News team in June 2022. Originally from Castle Rock, Colorado, he's ready to step away from the Rockies and step into the Blue Ridge scenery.

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