Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia James

Trump's 'own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,' James said

(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump’s acting U.S. attorney in Virginia Thursday secured a grand jury indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on felony bank fraud and false statement charges.

The indictment came two weeks after the same prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, indicted former FBI Director James Comey and three weeks after Trump publicly urged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute James and Comey and fired Halligan’s predecessor for declining to pursue charges.

Who said what

The five-page indictment accused James of “falsely claiming in loan documents that she would use a home she purchased” in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020 “as a secondary residence,” The New York Times said, “and using it instead as a rental investment property, allowing her to receive favorable terms that would save her close to $19,000” over the life of the loan. Halligan “presented the case” to the grand jury herself, The Washington Post said, an “unusual” move “suggesting that the office struggled to find a career attorney willing to take on the assignment.”

James, who secured a civil fraud judgment against Trump in 2023, said in a statement that the charges against her were “baseless” and Trump’s “own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.” Halligan said the charges “represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust.” Lawyer and podcast host Ken “Popehat” White said on social media he had “never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud.”

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What next?

James was not arrested but has been summoned to appear in federal court in Norfolk on Oct. 24. Her case was randomly assigned to U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker, a Joe Biden appointee.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.