New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of President Donald Trump’s strongest critics, was indicted on Thursday in a stunning act of revenge from Trump‘s Department of Justice.
Sources told CNN that James was indicted in federal court in Virginia, and did not offer details of the indictment.
James is a major rival to President Trump who successfully launched a civil lawsuit against him in February 2024 for business fraud.
The Attorney General has been under investigation for mortgage fraud since May for allegations that she took out a mortgage to help her niece buy a home in Virginia.
James’ attorneys said the allegations were related to a single document on her mortgage application that ‘mistakenly’ said it would be her primary residence.
Investigators previously alleged that James falsified information on loan documents for properties she owns in Virginia and New York to secure favorable loans.
The indictment was put forward by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan, a former beauty queen who also began a bombshell prosecution against former FBI chief James Comey two weeks ago.
Halligan’s moves against the Trump foes followed the resignation of her predecessor Erik Sieber, who left the US Attorney’s office after he reportedly resisted pressure from the White House to bring charges against Comey.
New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on Thursday by Donald Trump ‘s Department of Justice
James is a major rival to President Trump who successfully launched a civil lawsuit against him in February 2024 for business fraud
James took office in New York in 2019 after running on promises to investigate Trump.
She has frequently been attacked by the president for her civil lawsuit against him for business fraud, in which she went after Trump, his adult sons and his real estate empire.
A New York judge found them liable for fraudulently inflating the value of Trump properties, and Trump was hit with a $355 million fine. He has appealed the ruling.
Amid the investigation into James for alleged mortgage fraud, Siebert reportedly refused to bring charges after interviewing dozens of witnesses.
Sibert was replaced by Halligan after he refused pressure from Trump to bring charges against James and Comey.
The indictment against James has been brought by Lindsey Halligan, the new U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
James has denied allegations that she committed mortgage fraud in her loan application, and insisted it was a small mistake on one page of documents.
Her attorneys have released documents they say prove she mistakenly ticked a box to say the Virginia mortgage was for her primary residence.
This includes an email to her loan originator that made clear, ‘this property WILL NOT be my primary residence’, according to CNN.
James is also among a number of state attorneys general that have recently sued the Trump administration to block actions taken by the White House.
The Justice Department has also opened mortgage fraud probes into U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat who led the House of Representatives’ inquiry that led to Trump’s impeachment in 2019, and Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden.
Neither Schiff nor Cook has been charged with a crime, and they both deny wrongdoing.
Daily Mail has contacted James’ office for comment.
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