Donald Trump brought up the brutal murder of a Chinatown woman as he lashed out at prosecutors for allegedly harassing an accounting firm that recently severed ties with him.
Mazars USA LLP, the longtime accounting firm for the former president and his eponymous real estate company, on 9 February fired both as clients and warned the company that nearly a decade’s worth of his financial statements “should no longer be relied upon”.
In his four-page response to the announcement, Mr Trump boasted about having a “great company with fantastic assets” and slammed the “intimidation” tactics used by New York attorney general Letitia James and the Manhattan district attorney that allegedly forced Mazars to cut ties with him.
“The accounting firm Mazars has been threatened, harassed, and insulted like virtually no other firm has ever been,” Mr Trump said. He added that Mazars was “essentially forced to resign” alleging prosecutorial misconduct by Ms James and the Hillary Clinton-run district attorney’s office of Manhattan, who are leading two separate investigations into his firm.
He added that in these two states, crime has reached levels “not even thought possible”. He added: “Murder and other crimes in Manhattan and New York have gone through the roof, some crimes by as much as 100% as the Democrat run DA and AG spends historic amounts of time, energy and money trying to ‘get Trump’.”
Mr Trump also cited “the vicious killing of a 35-year-old woman in her Chinatown apartment yesterday by a man who should never have been allowed on streets”.
He was referring to the murder of Asian American woman Christina Yuna Lee on Sunday. The creative producer was stabbed a number of times by an alleged stalker, who was captured on camera following her into the apartment in Lower Manhattan moments before the murder. The suspect, a 25-year-old homeless man Assamad Nash, has been arrested.
Mr Trump’s company papers are at the centre of a New York investigation into his affairs, one he has decried as a political witch hunt.
In his lengthy statement, he shared figures from a 2014 Statement of Financial Condition prepared by Mazars for the Trump Organisation and asserted that his company is currently worth $8bn to $9bn.
“Mazars (sic) decision to withdraw was clearly a result of the AG’s and DA’s vicious intimidation tactics used — also on other members of the Trump Organisation,” Mr Trump said.
"Mazars, who were scared beyond belief, in conversations with us made it clear that they were willing to do or say anything to stop the constant threat which has gone against them for years. They were ‘broken’ and just wanted it all to stop the constant threat which has gone against them for years,” he added.
The statement concluded by suggesting that the former president is allegedly a victim of a racial attack by Ms James and Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg — who are both black.
“It doesn’t get any worse than that! After five years of constant bombardment, this political and racist attack must stop. Look to the murderers, drug dealers and rapists instead!” Mr Trump said.
