New York Attorney General Letitia James became the latest defendant charged by the federal government after an indictment was filed against her in Virginia on Thursday.
Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a press release that a federal grand jury had indicted James on two counts involving a property she owns in Virginia, including:
- Bank fraud.
- False statements to a financial institution.
Prosecutors allege that James misrepresented how she uses the property, located in Norfolk, to obtain a more favorable loan. Prosecutors say she claimed it as a second residence, when in reality she leased it out to tenants.
James has denied any wrongdoing and posted on social media that she will remain “fearless” moving forward.
“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. I am not fearful — I am fearless," she said. “We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights.”
James and others opposed to the lawsuit, like U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, labeled it as a “weaponization” tactic by President Donald Trump.
Others say this is hypocritical as James was one of the primary prosecutors pursuing cases against Trump when he was out of office.
Last year, James led a New York civil fraud case, which left Trump with a multimillion-dollar penalty and saw him banned from doing business in New York state for three years.
CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings posted on X that “it’s incredible to see Democrats whining about ‘selective prosecution’ in the case of Letitia James. Her entire career is built on the selective prosecution of one man! Give me a break.”
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson shared a previous video of James using her own verbiage against her, “A simple message from Letitia James herself: ‘No one is above the law. Justice will prevail.’”
If convicted, James could face up to 30 years in prison and face up to $1 million per count, according to a press release from federal prosecutor’s office.
Her initial court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24.