New York AG Letitia James charged with bank fraud
New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on bank fraud charges weeks after President Donald Trump was indicted.
NEW YORK – Some celebrities go into hiding after being charged with crimes, but New York State Attorney General Letitia James is not one of them.
Four days after a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted her on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, the Empire State’s top prosecutor made impassioned remarks at a rally for New York mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani on Oct. 13.
And judging by the reception she received from a crowd of 3,200 at a glitzy Manhattan theater, James has little reason to lie down.
James was greeted with a minute-long standing ovation and multiple bursts of applause from the audience after he criticized what many saw as President Donald Trump’s politicization of the Justice Department.
“We are witnessing powerful voices seeking to silence the truth, punish dissent, and, yes, weaponize justice for political gain,” James said, in an apparent reference to Trump’s campaign of retribution against big-name opponents.
“We are witnessing the fraying of our democracy and the erosion of our systems of government,” James said, to intermittent cheers and cheers from the crowd. “My friends, this is a defining moment in our history. Let us come together to defend our rights, to defend every safeguard, every institution, every immigration, every norm, every rule of law.”
President Trump has long criticized James, who sued a real estate mogul for allegedly defrauding lenders. A New York state judge agreed with James and ordered Trump to pay a fine of approximately $454 million. A New York appellate court rejected the financial penalty in August, but James’ office appealed the ruling.
The president has called James such adjectives as “corrupt,” “scum” and “a complete and utter disaster.”
“I will continue to fight for justice.”
President Trump appointed longtime prosecutor Eric Siebert to be the Eastern District of Virginia attorney in September, but fired him after Siebert reportedly concluded there was not enough evidence to bring charges against James. Mr. Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint one of Mr. Trump’s own former personal lawyers (then a White House aide) to the role and swiftly prosecute Mr. James and other targets of Mr. Trump’s ire, including former FBI Director James Comey and Sen. Adam Schiff.
Harrigan sued James, and so did Comey. Both Mr. James and Mr. Comey maintain that they are innocent and that President Trump has undermined the integrity of the Justice Department in its efforts to punish its critics.
New York Democrats are overwhelmingly in favor of James.
“Come for me, you have to come for all of us!” James said, clearly aware of that support.
“I won’t give in, I won’t give in, I won’t give in,” James declared, to loud cheers that drowned out his next line.
“I will continue to fight for justice,” James vowed. “I will continue to fight for New Yorkers. I will continue to fight against Washington, D.C.’s aggressive policies. And I will not stop. I will not give up and I will not give in.”
james leticia
Mr. James then shifted his focus to Mr. Mamdani, a New York state congressman who won an upset victory in the Democratic primary in June and is now the front-runner in the next general election.
“For years, you guys have been fighting the good fight for New Yorkers. Now it’s our turn to fight for you,” Mamdani told James as he took to the stage.
Those in attendance said they equated Mr. James’ fight with Mr. Mamdani’s campaign.
“I thought her statements about the need to oppose authoritarianism were incredibly strong,” Mamdani campaign volunteer Kevin Starr told USA TODAY. “She is already a victim of it and Mamdani is the one to counter it.”
“This speaks to how Tisch and Zoran are working together to strengthen our city and state to protect not only the people who live here, but those who are being targeted by Donald Trump, including the attorney general,” New York City Councilman Chi Ose, a Brooklyn Democrat who also spoke at the rally, told USA TODAY about James’ speech. James is often referred to by her nickname, Tish.
“I think we need this political alliance to show how we will resist this hostile government,” Osse added.
