New York Attorney General Responds to Indictment
New York’s Democratic Attorney General, Letitia James, took a firm stand on Thursday, pledging to draw on her faith and resilience in response to what she describes as politically motivated charges from former President Donald Trump aimed at undermining her office.
A federal grand jury brought charges against James after Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Harrigan initiated the case in the Eastern District of Virginia. In a defiant video shared on social media, James expressed that fear has no place in her belief system and that she intends to fight the charges vigorously.
“As a proud woman of faith, I understand that faith and fear cannot coexist. So, I am not afraid today. I am fearless, and I believe that no weapon forged against me will succeed. We will combat these unfounded accusations assertively, and my office will always stand up for New Yorkers and their rights,” James asserted.
James characterized the charges as “baseless” and accused Trump of weaponizing the justice system for political vendetta.
“This is just a continuation of the president’s alarming misuse of our justice system. He’s compelling federal law enforcement to act on his behalf simply because I was fulfilling my responsibilities as New York’s attorney general,” she stated. “These claims have no merit, and it’s evident from the president’s own statements that his main goal is to pursue political revenge. His actions represent a serious breach of our nation’s constitutional values and have sparked strong criticism from both political sides.”
James urged both parties to denounce what she perceives as a blatant undermining of the justice system.
“The president’s choice to dismiss a federal prosecutor who wouldn’t press charges against me and instead bring in someone who is unyieldingly loyal to him, rather than to justice, goes against the foundational principles of our democracy. Now is the moment for leaders from both parties to confront this egregious distortion of justice,” she remarked. “I continue to fully support my office’s legal action against the Trump Organization, based on evidence from a two-year investigation, not on political motivations. The courts confirmed that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons participated in fraudulent activity.”
Harrigan was appointed by Trump in September, following Eric Siebert’s resignation, who faced pressure for his unwillingness to prosecute. Notably, just a fortnight prior, a federal grand jury in that same district indicted former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly misleading Congress and delaying proceedings.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) flagged James to the Department of Justice in April for suspected mortgage document fraud. FHFA Secretary William Pruitt alleged that James had misrepresented a Virginia property as his primary residence to obtain more favorable mortgage rates in 2023, even though he was obligated to live in New York as attorney general.
Previously, James had filed a lawsuit against Trump in 2022, accusing him of inflating his net worth to secure better loan terms. In August, the New York Court of Appeals deemed the nearly $500 million civil fraud penalty imposed on Trump as “excessive.”
