New York Attorney General Letitia James is now facing federal charges related to bank fraud and allegedly providing false statements to a financial institution.
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University and a contributor to Fox News, pointed out the irony of her indictment, especially since she has been pursuing President Donald Trump on similar accusations for quite some time.
“The irony is quite striking. She demanded $500 million in damages from Trump despite the fact that no one suffered any real losses. The banks actually profited,” Turley noted during a recent conversation.
James is accused of one count each of bank fraud and making false statements. The indictment claims she misrepresented her Virginia home as her personal second residence to secure better loan conditions, while she was actually renting it out.
Previously, Trump had urged the Justice Department to investigate James, and Turley mentioned that this might complicate her case.
According to Turley, James may argue her prosecution is retaliatory and selectively motivated. Trump’s social media calls for action could be pivotal in the Justice Department’s defense.
Turley seems to think there’s a good chance for James. He suggested that her legal team might challenge the legitimacy of the acting U.S. attorney who endorsed the charges.
“James will likely argue that the acting U.S. attorney wasn’t properly appointed and thus shouldn’t have held the position,” Turley explained. “If that’s the case, the charges could be dismissed.”
James and her advocates assert that these charges are driven by political motivations. “He’s manipulating federal law enforcement all because I did my job as Attorney General,” she said in a video shared online.
Diving deeper into the local political scene, Democratic mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani criticized the prosecution, labeling it an “attack on our city” and a “clear miscarriage of justice.”
Turley raised an interesting point, questioning why there wasn’t similar outrage when James initiated legal actions against Trump. “I don’t recall Mamdani taking a stand against James when she campaigned on targeting Trump without even explaining the specifics,” he remarked.
In fact, James’s 2018 campaign for the role of New York Attorney General included a commitment to pursue Trump.
