Investigation Initiated: NY Attorney General Letitia James Faces Grand Jury Scrutiny by the Justice Department
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a federal grand jury investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James. The probe centres around potential civil rights violations related to James's successful civil fraud lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and his businesses [1][2].
Key details of the investigation include:
- Purpose: The DOJ is seeking more information about James's lawsuit against Trump, which resulted in a multi-million-dollar judgment for fraud. The investigation operates on a theory that James may have deprived Trump and his adult children of their rights during that case [1][2].
- Scope: Besides the Trump civil fraud case, there is also a related inquiry involving James's office's prior corruption case against the NRA. Additionally, the investigation has touched on properties owned by James in New York and Virginia [3].
- Current status: The investigation is in its early stages. Federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas to James's office for documents related to the Trump lawsuit. The DOJ's Weaponization Working Group, led by Ed Martin, has been involved, and Martin has controversially called for James's resignation without formal allegations, a move criticized by James's lawyer for violating DOJ norms [3][4].
- Political context: James has been a longstanding target of Trump, who publicly criticized her as a "wacky crook" and urged her resignation. Her lawyer says the investigation represents a politically motivated campaign to punish her for doing her job and is an attack on the rule of law [1][2][4].
The criminal probe into James is being led by the top federal prosecutor in Albany, John A. Sarcone III. Sarcone worked for Trump's election law team in 2016 [5].
Ed Martin, who serves as head of the Weaponization Working Group at the Department of Justice and the agency's pardon attorney, has been named a special prosecutor in the mortgage probe against James, as well as in a probe against Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. [6].
Trump has repeatedly criticized James, including calling her "racist" [7]. He has used government powers to target more than 100 perceived enemies [8]. An attorney for James has criticized the investigation, stating it is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by the administration [1][2][4].
Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York now representing Schiff, has stated that the allegations against Schiff are "transparently false, stale, and long debunked" [9]. Schiff has faced attacks from Trump dating back to the president's first impeachment, with Trump referring to Schiff as "an enemy from within" in an interview with Fox News last October [10].
This investigation adds to the ongoing legal battles between James and Trump, with Trump having appealed the fraud ruling against him in the fall of 2023 [11].
Read also:
- Massive 8.8 earthquake hits off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert.
- Court petitions to reverse established decision on same-sex marriage legalization
- Proposed Standardization of Food Labeling Laws Among Member States by the Commission
- Current News: AfD Achieves 26% - Union Dips to Laschet's Level
