Who is New York Attorney General Letitia James?

 Who is New York Attorney General Letitia James?

The Department of Justice announced that New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on October 9 on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Image yahoo

This indictment marks the second prosecution against perceived enemies of President Donald Trump in the Eastern District of Virginia led by U.S. Attorney Lindsay Halligan. Lindsay Halligan was appointed by Trump after he claimed to have fired then-U.S. Attorney Eric Seibert.

Seibert had informed the Justice Department that she did not have sufficient evidence to bring charges against James, according to media reports. She also raised concerns about a separate case against former FBI Director James Comey.

In a social media post on September 20, Trump called for the prosecution of James, Comey, and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff—who played leadership roles in both of Trump's previous presidential impeachments.

In a video statement posted on X, James vehemently professed his innocence and called the prosecution a "rampant weaponization of our justice system."

"He's forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do what I want, all because I did my job as New York State Attorney General," James said.

Here's what you should know about Letitia James.

James won a civil lawsuit against Trump.

James has served as New York State Attorney General since 2019, winning the position in 2018. She is the first Black woman to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General.

In 2022, James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, his business entities, and some of his family members, alleging that they fraudulently inflated the value of Trump's assets for years to obtain better loan and insurance terms. New York State Judge Arthur Engoron agreed, and after months of hearings, ordered Trump to pay a fine of approximately $454 million.

In August, a New York appeals court overturned that financial penalty, while upholding some of the business restrictions imposed by Engoron. James' office has appealed that decision.

According to amNY, in September, she accused Trump's Department of Homeland Security of "attempting to rewrite immigration law, eliminate due process protections, and deprive people of their most basic constitutional rights."

She has also been an aide to New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani said in a statement to USA Today, "No one should be surprised that Donald Trump is resorting to fascist tactics—prosecuting his opponents, weaponizing the federal government, and attacking the very fabric of our democracy."

Prior to her role as Attorney General, James was elected New York City's Public Advocate in 2013. According to her Attorney General biography, she also served on the New York City Council, representing the 35th Council District in Brooklyn for 10 years.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, James is a graduate of Lehman College and Howard University School of Law.