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@billspaced
@billspaced.com
· 13h
Grand jury indicts N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump opponent, on bank fraud charges
WASHINGTON — New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who has clashed with President Donald Trump, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Virginia. James was charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of false statements to a financial institution after Trump publicly called for his Justice Department appointees to bring charges against her. The indictment alleges James falsely claimed that a home in Norfolk, Virginia, was her second residence, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms, and that she rented the property to a family of three. James could face up to 30 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine on each count if she’s convicted. She vehemently denied the charges against her. “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost," James said in a statement that she also read aloud in a video posted to X. "The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties." As NBC News reported in August, Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed a special attorney to probe mortgage fraud allegations against the New York attorney general, who brought a successful civil fraud case against President Donald Trump before he retook the presidency. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte had referred the case to the Justice Department, alleging that James had made false statements on mortgage loan applications. But the case hit a standstill last month because federal agents and prosecutors didn't believe they had the evidence to secure a conviction, two senior federal law enforcement officials told NBC News last month. Acting U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert resigned under pressure last month after Trump said he wanted him "out." Trump then named one of his personal attorneys, Lindsey Halligan, to be acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, though she lacked any prosecutorial experience. Halligan said in a statement after James’ indictment that the “charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust.” “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served,” she added. James' attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the case "is driven by President Trump's desire for revenge." "When a President can publicly direct charges to be filed against someone — when it was reported that career attorneys concluded none were warranted — it marks a serious attack on the rule of law," Lowell said. "We will fight these charges in every process allowed in the law.” James' first court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Norfolk, Va. Trump has repeatedly sought charges against his political enemies, including James and former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted in September on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump said on Truth Social less than a week before Comey's indictment. In addition to Comey and James, Trump has called for charges against Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Halligan presented the case against Comey to a federal grand jury, doing so by herself in a break from DOJ norms and convincing a majority of the grand jurors that there was probable cause to indict Comey on two of the three counts she presented. Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday and plans to challenge Halligan’s appointment. The standard for securing an indictment before a federal grand jury is much lower than securing a unanimous conviction by a jury at trial. The Justice Manual, which guides federal prosecutors, says that attorneys for the government should only move forward on a case if they believe the admissible evidence would be enough to obtain and sustain a conviction. "It would be interesting to see how many grand jurors actually voted for the indictment," former U.S. Attorney Carol Lam said Thursday on NBC News NOW. "In the case of Jim Comey, it was 14 out of 23. And I will tell you, as a prosecutor, if I had even one or two grand jurors expressing concern and not voting for an indictment, I would be very, very concerned because they are only voting on probable cause and they are not voting beyond a reasonable doubt." The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker, a Biden appointee. Democrats swiftly condemned the Trump administration over James' indictment, much like they did after Comey was charged. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday on X that Americans were seeing “nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Trump of "using the Justice Department as his personal attack dog," and targeting James for successfully prosecuting Trump and his companies and securing a $500 million judgment that was later tossed out by a New York appeals court. "This isn’t justice. It’s revenge," Schumer said in a statement. "And it should horrify every American who believes no one is above the law."Ryan J. ReillyMichael KosnarAdam ReissKelly O'Donnell, Zoë Richards, Frank Thorp V, Chloe Atkins and Gary Grumbach contributed.
www.nbcnews.com
