DOJ INDICTS LETITIA JAMES ON BANK FRAUD AND FALSE STATEMENT CHARGES
New York Attorney General Letitia James — the Democrat who built her reputation on pursuing cases against President Donald Trump — was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Virginia on bank fraud and false statement charges.
According to the indictment, James allegedly falsified mortgage documents by claiming a Norfolk, Virginia, property as her “second residence” to secure favorable loan terms. Prosecutors allege she rented the home to another family while benefiting from reduced rates, saving nearly $19,000 in the process, NBC News reported.
If convicted, James faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine per count.
James, known for leading the politically charged civil fraud case that briefly produced a $500 million judgment against President Trump before being overturned on appeal, denounced the charges as “baseless” and politically motivated.
“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she said in a statement and video posted to X. “The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order.”
The case was brought by Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, a longtime Trump attorney who took over the post last month after former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert reportedly resigned under pressure for refusing to pursue the case. Halligan, who lacks prior prosecutorial experience, personally presented the case to the grand jury — a move that broke traditional Justice Department protocol.
Halligan defended the indictment, calling James’ alleged conduct “intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust.”
James’ defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, accused the Trump administration of “using the Justice Department as a political weapon.”
“When a president can publicly direct charges to be filed against someone — when career attorneys reportedly concluded none were warranted — it marks a serious attack on the rule of law,” Lowell said. “We will fight these charges in every way the law allows.”
James’ first court appearance is scheduled for October 24 before U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker, a Biden appointee.
The White House declined to comment, but President Trump celebrated the indictment online, reiterating his long-standing message that “political elites must face justice.”
The charges against James mark the latest in a series of prosecutions targeting political opponents, following the September indictment of former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding — another case presented by Halligan.
Democrats swiftly condemned the move as an example of “revenge politics.”
“This isn’t justice. It’s revenge,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “And it should horrify every American who believes no one is above the law.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul echoed the sentiment on X, writing that Americans are witnessing “nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.”
Republicans, however, defended the indictment as a matter of equal accountability under the law.
Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said, “President Trump can’t make a grand jury do anything,” while Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri praised the move as “accountability.”
Even Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has been critical of Trump in the past, said he hoped prosecutors “did their homework and have a valid basis for the indictment.”
Legal analysts noted that while the threshold for indictment — probable cause — is low, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that James knowingly misrepresented facts with intent to defraud to secure a conviction.
The political implications are immense. The prosecution of one of President Trump’s fiercest critics comes amid heightened scrutiny of his administration’s commitment to “equal justice,” which supporters hail as long-overdue accountability and opponents condemn as unprecedented retaliation.