Federal prosecutors have launched an investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Democrat who successfully pursued a high-profile civil fraud case against President Trump.
The probe, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, issued two subpoenas this week seeking records tied to James’s case against the Trump Organization and another involving the National Rifle Association (NRA).
James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, condemned the move as a blatant act of political retaliation. “Investigating the fraud case Attorney General James won against President Trump and his businesses has to be the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign,” Lowell said, calling it an “attack on the rule of law” and warning of the dangers of weaponizing federal law enforcement against elected officials.
The civil fraud case James brought against Trump ended with a New York judge ordering the Trump Organization to pay nearly $355 million in penalties a figure her office says will surpass $450 million with interest after finding the company inflated the value of its assets.
Reports also indicate the DOJ subpoenaed James’s office over her separate case against the NRA, in which she accused the organization of mismanaging charitable funds. That case led to $6.35 million in penalties against NRA leaders.
The Justice Department has declined to comment on the investigation, and The Hill has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for additional details.
James, elected attorney general in 2018, has frequently clashed with Trump in court and been a repeated target of his criticism. This isn’t the first time she’s faced scrutiny from a Trump administration. Earlier this year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency made a criminal referral over allegations she misrepresented her primary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms an accusation her office dismissed, saying she “will not be intimidated by bullies – no matter who they are.”
Her office reiterated that stance Friday, saying James remains focused on “protecting New Yorkers” even as “this Administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution.”
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