By The U.S. Department of Justice has convened a grand jury to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James over allegations connected to her civil fraud case against President Donald Trump, according by Fox News Digital. The probe, based in Albany, is reportedly focused on possible “deprivation of rights” arising from James’s legal actions. Subpoenas were issued to her office this week, seeking documents tied to the high-profile litigation.
She has also been accused of mortgage fraud previously.
James, a Democrat first elected in 2018, has been one of Trump’s most persistent political and legal adversaries. In 2022, she secured a $454 million judgment against Trump and executives of the Trump Organization after a state court found they had “grossly overstated Trump’s wealth to obtain favorable loans and other financial benefits.” At the time, James defended the outcome as a matter of equal justice, stating, “If average New Yorkers went into a bank and submitted false documents, the government would throw the book at them, and the same should be true for former presidents.”
Beyond the Trump fraud case, James has led multiple challenges to the current Trump administration’s policies, including lawsuits over federal spending freezes, mass dismissals of government employees, and restrictions on transgender care for minors.
A spokesperson for James condemned the Justice Department’s inquiry as a “weaponization” of prosecutorial power. “Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American,” the spokesperson said, adding that her office “will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights” and defend its litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association.
The criticism is rich coming from James. During her campaign for attorney general, James explicitly campaigned on using the justice system to attack Donald Trump.
Tish James should be disbarred pic.twitter.com/RQdQwc6SDp
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 21, 2022
Even going so far as to make it a key campaign issue:
Letitia James has won the Democratic primary for NY attorney general. If elected in November, she’ll be the first Black attorney general in NY history. She has promised to reform NY’s criminal justice system and to investigate and prosecute Trump’s family businesses. pic.twitter.com/M8UMHJQuIN
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) September 14, 2018
In a related development, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has appointed special prosecutor Ed Martin to investigate separate mortgage fraud allegations involving James and California Senator Adam Schiff, according to reports. According to Fox News, a grand jury in Virginia will review claims involving James, while a Maryland grand jury will examine claims tied to Schiff. These proceedings follow an April referral from the Trump-led Federal Housing Finance Agency requesting Bondi to investigate James.
The mortgage fraud accusations center on claims that James misrepresented property details to obtain favorable loan terms. James has denied any wrongdoing and retained defense attorney Abbe Lowell, known for representing Hunter Biden. The Justice Department declined to comment on the substance of either investigation.
Trump, for his part, has gone after James on social media, calling her a “wacky crook” and demanding she “resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY.”
Letitia James, a totally corrupt politician, should resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY. Everyone is trying to MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN, and it can never be done with this wacky crook in office.
From Donald Trump Truth Social 04/13/25 11:02… pic.twitter.com/M52o4ntpjg
— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 14, 2025
The grand jury process, described by legal analysts as a preliminary step that could lead to an indictment, will review evidence to determine whether there is probable cause to bring charges. The outcome remains uncertain as the investigations proceed in their early stages.
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