New York Attorney General Letitia James Charged With Alleged Fraud After Trump's Pressure

 New York Attorney General Letitia James Charged With Alleged Fraud After Trump's Pressure

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been charged with alleged fraud. She becomes the second political figure to face prosecution in a two-week span, following President Donald Trump's public demand for the Justice Department to "immediately" indict his political opponents.

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James, who successfully filed a civil fraud case against Trump last year and led several lawsuits challenging his administration's policies, has been indicted on federal charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Newly appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsay Halligan, announced the charges on Thursday. James was ordered to appear in court in Norfolk, Virginia, on October 24.

Halligan was appointed U.S. Attorney by Trump after Trump removed her predecessor, Eric Seibert. According to sources, Eric Seibert had expressed internal doubts about bringing charges against James and former FBI Director James Comey.

As ABC News first reported, sources said Seibert and other Virginia prosecutors found no clear evidence of James's intentional mortgage fraud, but Trump officials still pressured Seibert to bring criminal charges against him.

"I think [James] is guilty of something, but I don't really know," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office in September when he confirmed he wanted Seibert "removed."

"This is another continuation of the president's attempts to weaponize our justice system. He's forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do their job, and that's because I did my job as New York State Attorney General," James said in a statement after the indictment.

"These allegations are baseless, and the President's own public statements make it clear that his sole goal is political retribution at any cost," he said.

Prosecutors allege that James misled a bank to obtain more favorable terms on a loan, specifically claiming that a property was going to be converted into a residence, when, according to prosecutors, it was to be rented for profit.

However, after a five-month investigation and interviewing more than a dozen witnesses, federal prosecutors found no clear evidence against James, sources told ABC News.

"No one is above the law. The allegations in this case represent a deliberate criminal act and a gross violation of the public trust," Halligan said in a statement announcing the charges on Thursday. "The facts and law in this case are clear, and we will continue to follow them to ensure justice is served."

Halligan filed charges against Comey last month on charges of making false statements and obstruction related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020. This came just days after Trump publicly demanded that his Justice Department take "immediate" action to prosecute Comey, James, and California Senator Adam Schiff.

"Nothing is happening. What about Comey, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, and Leticia???" Trump wrote in a social media post directly addressing Attorney General Pam Bondi. "We can't delay any longer; this is destroying our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice and indicted me (5 times!) for no reason. Justice must be done, now!!!"

Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and will seek dismissal of his case as retaliatory prosecution.