Soros family and other high-profile megadonors helped fuel the political career of New York AG suing Trump
Fox News
George Soros, two of his family members and other megadonors helped propel the political career of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is suing former President Trump, according to the filings reviewed by Fox News Digital.
James, a Democrat, brought a civil lawsuit against Trump last year, alleging he and his company misled banks and others about the value of his assets. She claimed that Trump’s children — Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, as well as his associates and businesses — committed “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” on their financial statements.
New York City Judge Arthur Engoron is presiding over Trump’s civil fraud trial, which stemmed from James’ lawsuit. Trump has blasted James for bringing the litigation, for the trial not having a jury and for Engoron handling the case.
The former president has also dismissed Engoron as a “Democrat” and an “operative.” He also aimed at James, labeling her a “radical-left attorney general.”
In recent years, James has received backing from numerous left-wing donors who have also spent considerable amounts on anti-Trump efforts in the past, according to state campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Financier George Soros has pushed at least $20,000 to James’ candidacy, including two $10,000 donations in 2021 and 2022. The 93-year-old billionaire has poured millions of dollars into efforts backing Biden and opposing Trump, and his Open Society Foundations has bankrolled a plethora of left-wing organizations that have worked on endeavors against the former president.
Soros, however, was not the only member of the family to throw money at James. His son, Jonathan Soros, gave her campaign at least $10,000 between 2018 and 2022, while Jonathan’s wife, Jennifer Allan Soros, added $4,000 in 2022.
Billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who helped rehabilitate convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s image and visited his infamous island, is one of the biggest backers of the New York attorney general.
The records show that Hoffman donated $47,100 to her campaign in 2022. Hoffman has put large sums into efforts to torpedo Trump. He’s also come under fire for a past effort in an Alabama Senate race that the New York Times described as a “Russian-style social media deception” campaign.
California-based physician Karla Jurvetson provided James with at least $67,300 in campaign contributions since 2019, according to the filings. Jurvetson, like Soros and Hoffman, has spent significant amounts against Trump and propping up Biden as she’s positioned herself as a prominent donor in recent election cycles.
Other notable contributors to James include director Spike Lee, former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer.
Trump and his spokesperson have routinely criticized James during his civil fraud trial.
“The Attorney General filed this case under a consumer protection statute that denies the right to a jury,” a Trump spokesperson previously said. “There was never an option to choose a jury trial. It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”
Meanwhile, Engoron, who is presiding over the civil fraud trial and whom Trump has referred to as an “operative,” has exclusively donated to Democrats.
Engoron wields unique authority over Trump’s civil fraud case. It is a jury-free bench trial, with Engoron overseeing it and ultimately determining its outcome and penalties. James wants a $250 million penalty imposed on Trump’s businesses after accusing him of fraudulent practices.
DONALD TRUMP JR. TAKES THE STAND IN CIVIL TRIAL STEMMING FROM NEW YORK AG LAWSUIT
Engoron has given more than $5,000 to Democrats over the past 25 years, the Daily Wire first reported. The money has mainly gone to local committees, with his most recent donation going to Manhattan Democrats in 2018.
The money also went to Democrat candidates such as former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, former Gov. David Paterson and other state lawmakers, the publication reported.
And while Trump’s case does not have a jury, Engoron previously shared his “controversial” view that he could overrule them based on his emotions in a video that made its rounds on social media.
“Now, I’m going to say something controversial even though I’m being taped,” he says in the video that appears to be from eight years ago. “Juries get it wrong a lot — that’s my own opinion. I do only civil trials — personal injury cases, contract disputes — but I’ve had situations where, like, ‘Oh, my — heaven’s sake. How could they have thought that?'”
“Well, I have a tool that I can deal with that. It’s called judgment not withstanding the verdict,” he said. “I can say there is no possible way that a reasonable jury would have reached that conclusion. Alright, am I following the law, or am I making the law? OK, I’m following the law. I’m an impartial referee, but it’s hard to factor out my own emotions. I have tools.”
Last month, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.
Engoron’s ruling came after James sued Trump, his children and the Trump Organization, alleging that the former president “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars” and said his children helped him to do so.
James’ campaign did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment on her donations.