The Department of Justice has opened a grand jury investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James over her office’s handling of lawfare against then-candidate Donald Trump leading up to the 2024 election, several outlets reported Friday.
According to sources who reportedly spoke with Fox News, “The investigation is being run out of Albany, New York, and focused on possible deprivation of rights allegations.” While the purported probe is allegedly “in an early stage,” the outlet reported the Democrat attorney general’s office “received subpoenas for documents this week, including for information related to her civil fraud lawsuit against Trump.”
One of the subpoenas deals with James’ office’s management of a case involving the National Rifle Association, according to sources who spoke with The New York Times.
As The Federalist previously reported, James — who campaigned on using her current position to target Trump — sued Trump ahead of the 2024 election “alleging that he misled banks, insurers, and others about his net worth to obtain loans, although none of the parties involved claimed to have been injured.” Following the conclusion of “a no-jury trial,” New York Judge Arthur Engoron “issued a decision in February [2024] ordering Trump to pay a $454 million penalty.”
Trump appealed the decision and “posted a required $175 million appeal bond,” The Federalist reported.
[READ: NY Judges Scrutinize ‘Troubling’ $450 Million Penalty In Trump Fraud Case: ‘No One Lost Any Money’]
A James representative has since criticized the DOJ’s reported investigation into the New York attorney general’s conduct, claiming the purported probe represents a “weaponization of the justice system.”
“We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights,” the representative said.
The reported investigation is seemingly separate from a legal controversy involving James that came to light earlier this year.
As The Federalist’s Brianna Lyman reported, U.S. Federal Housing Director William J. Pulte sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department in April alleging “‘falsified records’ to obtain home loans for a property in Virginia that she claimed in 2023 was her ‘principal residence’ despite serving in New York at the time, according to The [New York] Post.” “The alleged falsification,” Lyman wrote, “occurred weeks before she launched her politically motivated sham trial against the Trump Organization for allegedly inflating the values of its properties.”
America First Legal subsequently filed a bar complaint against James over the allegations weeks later.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
