The Trump administration has accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of mortgage fraud, raising serious questions about her legal conduct. The referral to the Department of Justice suggests she falsified documents to secure favorable loan terms.
Fox News reported that, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the claim was filed against James on a Tuesday, pinpointing discrepancies in mortgage applications linked to two properties.
FHFA Director William Pulte stated, "James appears to have falsified records to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms."
This controversy emerges amid James's ongoing legal battles with President Donald Trump. She has been at the forefront of several lawsuits against him and his administration, but has had limited success and could now find herself on the wrong side of the legal system in a twist of irony.
Central to the allegations are accusations that James declared a Virginia property as her principal residence misleadingly and misrepresented a New York property's structure to secure better mortgage terms. These records allegedly enabled her to obtain loans under pretenses, accusations that echo those she has levied against Trump in previous legal encounters.
Additionally, documents cited by the New York Post from 1983 and 2000 included a supposed misrepresentation, listing James and her father as "husband and wife." This detail contributes to the complexity and potential severity of the alleged fraud.
In response to these allegations, a spokesperson for James defended her resolve and focus on her duties. "She has been focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution. She will not be intimidated by bullies — no matter who they are," the spokesperson said.
Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley underscored the irony in the situation, noting James' past actions against Trump. "This is a person who prosecuted Trump for everything short of ripping a label off a mattress, and among the charges that were brought in New York, in not just the civil but the criminal case, was making false or misleading statements to financial institutions," Turley echoed.
Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro expressed his perspectives on the authenticity of the documents alleging James' misconduct. "The documents presented by Sam Antar and the research he has done appear entirely authentic," Mauro highlighted.
Mauro also made a significant remark about the legal principles at stake, "In which case, AG James appears to have engaged in the very sort of fraud which she alleged in her ludicrous case against Donald Trump. Let's see now, if indeed, as AG James has stated herself, nobody is above the law."
The allegations against Attorney General Letitia James arrive amid heightened political and legal scrutiny in the United States.
Her vigorous approach against the presidency and various administrative actions, including grant disputes and federal lawsuits, has been both lauded and criticized broadly.
Most notably, in 2022, she brought a civil fraud suit against Donald Trump, culminating in a $454 million judgment against him, currently under appeal. These actions have set a potent foreground for the allegations brought against her by the Trump administration.
The referral of these charges by the FHFA to the Department of Justice not only suggests a new legal battlefront for James but also sets a pivotal stage for her career and the broader American legal landscape, as it scrutinizes the actions of one of its high-profile legal figures.