On October 9, New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia. She is being charged with respective counts of bank fraud and of making false statements to a financial institution.
On August 8, James was subpoenaed by the Justice Department for “violating Trump’s civil rights,” in response to her civil fraud case against Trump, in which she won. That she was not indicted on this accusation points to its lack of merit. It was not until May that Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Kash Patel revealed that James was under investigation for mortgage fraud. No public evidence has been provided for this allegation; the Trump administration accuses James of “falsely claimed that a home in Norfolk, Virginia, was her second residence, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms, and that she rented the property to a family of three.”
A “special attorney” investigation into James’ alleged mortgage fraud hit a standstill at some point in September, because the investigators did not believe that they had sufficient evidence to convict her. This is despite Federal Housing Agency Director Bill Pulte referring James’ case to the Justice Department.
As is the case with the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, the indictment of James will be pressed by the same unqualified prosecutor who has not handled any prior cases, Lindsey Halligan.
James has categorically denied the accusations, and accused Trump of using the law to achieve political retribution.
