Letitia James Laughingly Claims Trump Admin’s Prosecution Is ‘Vindictive’
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is now claiming she’s the victim of political persecution — filing a motion Friday to dismiss the federal fraud charges brought against her by President Donald J. Trump’s administration. The irony, critics say, is hard to miss.
In her 50-page motion, James argued that the charges stem from President Trump’s “personal and political animus” toward her, alleging that her prosecution violates the Fifth Amendment.
“The government targeted AG James for prosecution because of the President’s genuine animus towards her protected campaign speech and fulfillment of her statutory obligations as New York Attorney General,” the motion reads, according to The Hill. “This indictment is the product of vindictive and selective prosecution, in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”
James’s legal team cited Trump’s past remarks about her — including his references to her as “SCUM,” “a Complete and Total Disaster,” “racist,” “weak,” and “a monster” — as proof that the case is politically motivated. Her motion accused the Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, of being “too tainted with unconstitutional motivation to bring these charges fairly.”
“President Trump and his allies have used every insulting term in their vocabulary to deride AG James and call for criminal penalties in retaliation for the exercise of her rights,” the filing claims.
For many observers, James’s argument rings hollow. During her 2018 campaign for attorney general, she explicitly promised to “get Trump.” Once in office, she followed through — leading multiple investigations and lawsuits targeting the then-former president and his business empire.
Now, the tables have turned. The Trump administration’s Justice Department has charged James with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, alleging she lied about her intent to occupy a Virginia property as a secondary residence in order to obtain better loan terms. Prosecutors say she later rented the home to another family, saving herself roughly $19,000.
James pleaded not guilty to the charges at her October 23 arraignment and vowed to fight what she called “a politically motivated prosecution.”
“This lawsuit, and AG James’ outspoken criticism of the President, triggered six years of targeted attacks,” her lawyers wrote, calling the indictment “invidious and in bad faith.”
James’s motion also revisits her 2022 civil fraud lawsuit against Trump and the Trump Organization — the same case in which a New York judge initially ordered Trump to pay $354.8 million in penalties, a figure that ballooned to more than $500 million with interest before an appeals court overturned it in August.
That courtroom clash helped cement James’s national profile — and, in many conservatives’ view, her reputation as a partisan crusader weaponizing the legal system.
Now facing her own criminal charges, James is arguing that the same type of political bias she once wielded against others is being used against her.
Republicans see the filing as poetic justice. The woman who built her career vowing to take down Trump is now accusing his administration of doing exactly what she once did — using the power of the state for political ends.
As the case moves forward, the central question will be whether James can convince the court that she’s the target of a “vindictive prosecution” — or whether, as many Americans believe, she’s finally being held to the same standard she demanded for others.