Letitia James criminally charged in Trump's latest effort to punish rivals

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Thu 9 Oct 2025 16.28 EDT
First published on Thu 9 Oct 2025 16.07 EDT


A federal grand jury indicted Letitia James, the New York attorney general, for bank fraud on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Lindsey Halligan, the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, personally presented the case to the grand jury on Thursday, the person said. US attorneys do not typically present to a grand jury. Representatives for James did not immediately return a request for comment.

Halligan was installed in the role last month after Donald Trump became frustrated with the pace of investigations against his rivals. The move is the president’s latest effort to weaponize the Department of Justice to punish political rivals. It comes two weeks after Halligan secured charges against James Comey, the former FBI director. Career prosecutors prepared a memo in that case outlining why charges were not warranted. Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.

The facts of the charges were not immediately clear. A grand jury empaneled earlier this year had been investigating allegations that James may have committed fraud when she helped her niece buy a home in Virginia.

On a document that was part of that transaction, there was a box checked indicating James intended to use it as her primary residence, which would make better mortgage rates available. But in other documents and emails with her mortgage broker, James clearly indicated she did not intend to use the home as her primary residence.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/09/criminal-charges-letitia-james-new-york-attorney-general

---

Hopefully laughed out of court.

Article updated.

Previous article -

Thu 9 Oct 2025 16.28 EDT
First published on Thu 9 Oct 2025 16.07 EDT


A federal grand jury indicted Letitia James, the New York attorney general, for bank fraud on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Lindsey Halligan, the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, personally presented the case to the grand jury on Thursday, the person said. US attorneys do not typically present to a grand jury.

Halligan was installed in the role last month after Donald Trump became frustrated with the pace of investigations against his rivals.

The move is the president's latest effort to weaponize the Department of Justice to punish political rivals. It comes two weeks after Halligan secured charges against James Comey, the former FBI director. Career prosecutors prepared a memo in that case outlining why charges were not warranted. Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.


More details soon ...

Original article -

Thu 9 Oct 2025 16.24 EDT
First published on Thu 9 Oct 2025 16.07 EDT


A federal grand jury indicted Letitia James on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Lindsey Halligan, the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, personally presented the case to the grand jury on Thursday, the person said. US attorneys do not typically present to a grand jury.

Lindsey Halligan Halligan was installed in the role last month after Donald Trump became frustrated with the pace of investigations against his rivals.

The move is Trump's latest effort to weaponize the Department of Justice to punish political rivals. It comes two weeks after Halligan secured charges against James Comey, the former FBI director. Career prosecutors prepared a memo in that case outlining why charges were not warranted. Comey pled not guilty on Wednesday.

More details soon...

[Lovie777]

1. Making shithole happy in what I hear.......................

his end days.

[AZJonnie]

2. Oh, it will be. That's why he had to get a nobody like Halligan in place to do the dirty work

No actual, reputable prosecutor wanted anything to do with either case, which are obvious weaponizations of the DoJ.

I'm sure most DUers are aware, but in case there are lurkers: Grand Jury indictments are a dime a dozen. These juries hear only 1 side, the side of the prosecutor. The defendant is not there, and neither are their lawyers. Such indictments do not indicate guilt by any stretch.

[electric_blue68]

7. Ty I keep forgetting that! (1 side)

[groundloop]

13. True, but I'm quite sure this also carries with it a high cost to defend ones self.

I certainly couldn't afford attorneys to defend myself against those bogus charges.

[avebury]

3. James and Comey should subpoena the US Attorneys who

refused to take their cased to the Grand Jury and have them state in court why they refused.

This nothing by malicious political prosecution by what I call Bimbo Barbie who only cares about kissing up to Trump.

[Ocelot II]

4. Halligan probably presented only the box checked by mistake on a form,

and none of the evidence that AG James wrote on the mortgage application, in her own handwriting, that the property was not going to be her primary residence.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department

This case will also fail

Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department

www.cnn.com/2025/10/09/p...

— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2025-10-09T20:30:20.830Z

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/09/politics/letitia-james-grand-jury-trump-indictment

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, as President Donald Trump’s Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his political opponents, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

James has been under investigation since May over a 2023 mortgage she took out to help her niece buy a home in Norfolk, Virginia.

The charges come as Trump continues to call for his enemies to be prosecuted in court. Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday to allegedly making a false statement in a congressional proceeding. The Justice Department has also opened investigation into former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, and others.

James’ relationship with Trump has been adversarial for years as James campaigned on promises to investigate Trump and ultimately won a civil fraud case against Trump, his adult sons and his real estate business. A judge found them liable for fraud for inflating the value of their properties, and ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties. Trump has appealed.

[BaronChocula]

6. The TRASH class will be so upset

when all these vindictive prosecutions get thrown out.

[SunSeeker]

8. She can copy Patrick Fitzgerald's vindictive prosecution motion. nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Justice Department indicts N.Y. attorney general

So not only can you indict a ham sandwich, you can be indicted *by* a ham sandwich.

I guess they found a bunch of yahoos in Virginia to indict the proverbial ham sandwich.

Justice Department indicts N.Y. attorney general

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

— Greg Hernandez (@ghnarrator.bsky.social) 2025-10-09T20:45:27.448Z

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/09/letitia-james-grand-jury-trump/

The Justice Department won an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James Thursday, accusing her of committing mortgage fraud when she purchased a property in Virginia in 2023.

The indictment on bank fraud makes James the second of President Donald Trump’s political foes to be charged in the Eastern District of Virginia since Trump pushed out the top prosecutor there and appointed a close ally, Lindsey Halligan, who had no previous experience as a prosecutor, to replace him. Halligan won an indictment two weeks ago against former FBI director James B. Comey on charges of making a false statement to Congress. He has pleaded not guilty.

Halligan presented the case against James to a grand jury in Alexandria. It is unusual for a top politically-appointed U.S. attorney to present a case herself and could suggest that the office struggled to find a career attorney willing to take on the assignment.

A senior career attorney in the office had indicated to her staff in recent days that she believed the case was weak and did not want to present it to a grand jury, according to two people familiar with the internal conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. That attorney had also worked to insulate her subordinates from the case so that they, too, would not have to present the case, those people said.

[moonshinegnomie]

10. once shes aquitted the prosecutors should all be disbarred

malicious prosecution.

[Glorious bastard]

11. I keep wondering how many real criminals remain unpunished while

DOJ indulges an insolent baby.

[ReRe]

12. Ha! What a joke!

The Career Felon is suing Laticia James, NY's AG. When will we ever get that SOB behind bars for good, no cameras, no mic, no flood lights? Out of sight and out of mind, forever more.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

14. Leticia James' statement

Leticia James’ statement.

— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@nothoodlum.bsky.social) 2025-10-09T22:09:13.357Z

[Bayard]

15. Trying to punish another person just doing their job

Crybaby is wickedly transparent.

[FakeNoose]

16. Wait .... I'm confused ... is she indicted for being female, or for being black?

[wolfie001]

17. That fat, fraud, orange, rapist imbecile

[LudwigPastorius]

18. *sigh*

Remember the good old days when we thought that the president merely having an "enemies list" was shocking and beyond the pale?

[Stargazer99]

19. I am getting damn sick of the public's tax money being spent for politics

Why are the rest of you just putting up with this?

[Exp]

21. Huh, wuh? "Why are the rest of you just putting up with this?" What does that mean?

[Exp]

20. The Grand Jury is not presented with ANY evidence from the defense. This will go nowhere. nt

[Skittles]

22. Halligan is no match for Comey and James

I almost feel sorry for that Trump suckup.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. Popehat: "I've never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud."

(If you don't know him, Popehat is Ken White, a respected lawyer)

I’ve never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud.

/2 Also note that this key paragraph characterizes the agreement rather than quoting it, an odd choice in this context. Seems skeevy.

/3 Also note that the indictment claims she rented the property but not that she entered into an agreement that REQUIRED her to rent the property, which seems to be what is prohibited by the paraphrased language.

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Joshua J. Friedman (@joshuajfriedman.com) 2025-10-09T21:29:49.931Z

/2 Also note that this key paragraph characterizes the agreement rather than quoting it, an odd choice in this context. Seems skeevy.

— Old White Nepo Hat (@kenwhite.bsky.social) 2025-10-09T22:21:32.845Z

I'd also add that it just claims she rented "the property to a family of (3)". No indication of when that started, or how long it went on for - which, not as a lawyer, I'd think would be the first thing to know - for a week, a month, a year or what? Has she stayed in it herself at some time? I suspect this lack of detail covers up the reasons the professional lawyers had said there's no prospect of a conviction.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. "(If you don't know him, Popehat is Ken White, a respected lawyer)"

That's one of mahatmakanejeeve's favorites.

(and all his "Hat" name variations )

[FBaggins]

25. White may be a respected attorney - but it's clear that this isn't his area of expertise

The Second Home Rider is a uniform instrument from Fannie/Freddie. It isn't "skeevy" to fail to quote it - but it is a bit odd to then use the characterization he thinks is skeevy to build a defense (i.e., that she didn't enter into an agreement that REQUIRES her to rent the property)

6. Occupancy. Borrower must occupy and use the Property as Borrower’s second home. Borrower will maintain exclusive control over the occupancy of the Property, including short-term rentals, and will not subject the Property to any timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or to any rental pool or agreement that requires Borrower either to rent the Property or give a management firm or any other person or entity any control over the occupancy or use of the Property. Borrower will keep the Property available primarily as a residence for Borrower’s personal use and enjoyment for at least one year after the date of this Security Instrument, unless Lender otherwise agrees in writing, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, or unless extenuating circumstances exist that are beyond Borrower’s control.

There are plenty of possible defenses for James as you speculate... but Popehat's "maybe she rented it but didn't enter into an agreement that REQUIRED her to rent it" isn't one of them.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

26. MaddowBlog-The one thing the Letitia James and James Comey indictments have in common

Both cases are brazenly and transparently corrupt, for the sake of brazen and transparent corruption.

The Letitia James and James Comey cases are two sides of the same coin:

Trump isn’t hiding his weaponization of the criminal justice system, he’s *flaunting* it, hoping to instill fear in critics and prosecutors.

The corruption is the point. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-10-10T13:10:10.529Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/one-thing-letitia-james-james-comey-indictments-common-rcna236837

Two weeks ago, when an unqualified Trump loyalist secured an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, it was widely characterized as the most obvious example in history of a politically motivated DOJ prosecution. Fourteen days later, we were reminded that it was really just the most obvious example of a politically motivated DOJ prosecution so far. MSNBC reported:

A Virginia grand jury on Thursday indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud charges following intense pressure from President Donald Trump to bring the case. ... James was charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, according to the indictment.

The parallels between the James and Comey cases are striking.

In the latter, Trump spent months targeting the former FBI director and pressuring his team to bring criminal charges against his perceived foe. When the Trump-nominated U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia balked, and career prosecutors explained in detail and in writing that the evidence didn’t support charging Comey, the president expressed indifference to the rule of law......

As we’ve discussed, Trump and his confederates aren’t hiding their weaponization of the criminal justice system, they’re flaunting it. They want everyone to notice. They need other White House critics to be afraid, and other federal prosecutors to understand that they’ll soon be unemployed unless they play ball the way Halligan did.

The corruption is the point.

There might be half-hearted denials, issued with winks and nods, but by design, everyone should already be painfully aware of what is plainly true: The authoritarian crisis has arrived. We now live in a country where the president’s political opponents are prosecuted at his command.

As we’ve discussed, Trump and his confederates aren’t hiding their weaponization of the criminal justice system, they’re flaunting it. They want everyone to notice. They need other White House critics to be afraid, and other federal prosecutors to understand that they’ll soon be unemployed unless they play ball the way Halligan did.

Alan Rozenshtein, a former department official who now teaches at the University of Minnesota Law School, told The New York Times, “What we are seeing is the almost wholesale collapse of the Justice Department as an organization based on the rule of la[w/b].”