"New York Democrats rallied around state Attorney General Letitia James after she was indicted in Virginia federal court. The indictment, returned Oct. 9, alleges James committed bank fraud related to a mortgage in purchasing a Virginia home. President Donald Trump, who James sued in 2022, called for her to face charges just weeks earlier. James, a 66-year-old Brooklyn Democrat, said she was not afraid of what she called "baseless charges." Her allies in Albany, Washington, DC, and New York City were equally forceful."
""What we're seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an X post. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a fellow Democrat from Brooklyn, said James has "courageously been at the forefront of successfully challenging the Trump administration's lawless and deeply unpopular over-reach." "At all times, she has followed the facts, applied the law and been guided by the Constitution," Jeffries said in a statement."
"'No one is above the law,' state GOP says New York Republicans, meanwhile, echoed what U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, of the Eastern District of Virginia, stated while announcing the charges: " No one is above the law." "For years, Letitia James has illegally weaponized her office to conduct a political witch hunt against Democrats' political opponents, most notably President Donald J. Trump," said U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, an upstate New York Republican who is challenging Hochul for governor."
State Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Oct. 9 in Virginia federal court on allegations of bank fraud tied to a mortgage for a Virginia home. President Donald Trump, previously sued by James in 2022, had recently called for charges. James, 66, said she was not afraid of what she called "baseless charges." New York Democrats including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries defended James and characterized the indictment as weaponization of the Justice Department. New York Republicans and U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan stressed that no one is above the law. James previously pursued a civil case that led to a large penalty and ongoing appeals.
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