Letitia James speaks publicly for the first time since federal indictment
New York Attorney General Letitia James spoke publicly for the first time since her federal indictment.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is scheduled to appear in court on October 24th after a federal grand jury in Virginia indicted her on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. She is the next in a growing number of President Donald Trump’s opponents to face federal charges during his second term.
Her expected court appearance will be her first in court. The suit was filed less than three weeks after President Trump publicly called for her accusations and replaced the longtime prosecutor with his former personal attorney Lindsey Harrigan, who reportedly believed there was not enough evidence to bring a case.
“This is nothing but the continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of the justice system, as he forces federal law enforcement to do his bidding, all while performing my duties as New York’s attorney general,” James said in a statement after the indictment.
Harrigan, who has never been a prosecutor before, was officially appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, an ally of President Trump, to head the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mr. Harrigan was the only federal prosecutor to sign Mr. James’ indictment. James said in an Oct. 23 court filing that he plans to file a motion on Oct. 24 challenging the legality of Harrigan’s appointment.
The allegations may be similar to those filed on October 20 by James Comey, a former FBI director and prominent Trump critic who was also indicted by a grand jury after Harrigan took office. Mr. Comey argued that Bondi did not have the authority to establish Halligan under the following laws: distribute the power among the membersThe Attorney General, the Senate, and the court system. His motion on this issue is still pending.
Mr. Comey has pleaded not guilty and has pleaded not guilty.
The Virginia charge alleges that James attempted to defraud two financial institutions by falsely claiming that a three-bedroom, one-bathroom property he purchased in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020 was a secondary residence. According to the indictment, the property was actually an investment property in which she had no plans to live. She allegedly rented the space to a family member and misused it to get better terms on a mortgage.
James’s office, then New York’s attorney general, filed a civil complaint against Trump in 2022, accusing him of fraudulently inflating the value of assets over a period of years to obtain better loan terms. New York state judge Arthur Engoron agreed with Trump’s liability and ordered him to pay a fine of about $454 million after a months-long trial. The New York Court of Appeals struck down that financial penalty this summer, but left in place some business restrictions Engoron had imposed. James’ office appealed the decision.
James and her attorney, Abby Rowell, have suggested that President Trump may have pushed for the charges against James in retaliation for that lawsuit.
“Attorney General James categorically and forcefully denies these charges. We are deeply concerned that this incident is driven by President Trump’s desire for revenge,” Lowell said in a statement after James’ indictment.
Ms Halligan defended the charges.
“The charges alleged in this case are intentional criminal acts and serious violations of the public trust,” he said in a statement.
