New York Attorney General Letitia James has promised to fight federal bank fraud charges filed against her, calling them politically motivated attempts to silence her work. The Democratic official was charged by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday with bank fraud and lying to a financial institution.
The charges come from claims by the Federal Housing Finance Agency in April that James said a Virginia home was her primary residence while she was holding public office in New York. After being charged, James called the case “baseless” and said it shows the president seeking “political retribution at any cost.”
Speaking at a rally for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Monday, James said she would stand strong against what she sees as political attacks. “I stand on solid rock and I will not bow, I will not break, I will not bend,” she said, according to The Hill. Without naming President Trump directly, she said “powerful voices” are “trying to punish speaking the truth” and “weaponizing justice for political gain.”
James Has Been Causing Problems For Trump Since 2022
The problems between James and Trump go back to 2022, when she filed a civil fraud case against the Trump organization. The case said the president inflated his net worth for tax and insurance purposes. Trump and other defendants were found guilty, with a New York state judge ordering them to pay over $464 million in penalties, plus interest, in February 2024. That total included over $454 million for Trump and over $4 million for his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.
In August, a New York appeals court canceled the penalty, which had grown to over $527 million with interest, but chose not to throw out the entire judgment. Trump, his sons, and James all appealed the August ruling.
The timing of the federal charges against James has raised questions about possible political interference. Last month, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, resigned after pressure from the administration to start looking into James.
Days later, Trump nominated White House aide Lindsey Halligan to the job. Trump also posted on his Truth Social platform pushing for Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute James, in what was reportedly meant as a direct message to Bondi.
The Trump Justice Department has also recently won the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, another political figure seen as an enemy of Trump.
Published: Oct 14, 2025 02:30 pm