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New York Attorney General Letitia James is facing federal charges of bank fraud and of making false statements to a financial institution.
George Washington University law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley highlighted the irony of the charges, noting they follow James’ years-long prosecution of President Donald Trump on similar grounds.
“What’s really ironic is she just asked for half a billion dollars of damages against Trump in a case where no one lost any money. In fact, the bank made money,” Turley told “America Reports” on Friday.
LETITIA JAMES’ OWN WORDS COME BACK TO HAUNT HER AFTER FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES FILED
“In this case, the government’s alleging that she made serious money, that by misrepresenting the status of this property, she made thousands of dollars.”
James faces one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. According to the indictment, she falsely claimed a Virginia home was her personal second residence to secure favorable loan terms, while actually renting it out.
Trump has previously called for Justice Department action against James, something Turley said may hinder the case.
NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ INDICTMENT SPARKS SHARP PARTISAN DIVIDE
Turley suggested that moving forward, James may claim to be the target of “vindictive prosecution” and “selective prosecution.” He said Trump’s social media posts urging the DOJ to take action will likely be a central piece of evidence in their defense.
Turley also noted he believes the odds will favor James. He said her legal team is likely to challenge the appointment of the acting U.S. attorney who signed off on the charges.
“James is likely to say that the acting U.S. attorney who signed off on these charges was not appropriately appointed and therefore should not have held that office,” Turley explained.
“If that is the case, then the indictment would go down.”
DOJ OPENS GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION INTO LETITIA JAMES TIED TO TRUMP CIVIL CASE
James and her supporters have framed the charges as politically motivated.
“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State attorney general,” James said in a video posted online.
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani called the prosecution “an attack on our city” and “a blatant miscarriage of justice.”
Turley questioned why similar outrage was not expressed during James’ prosecution of Trump.
“I don’t remember Mamdani coming out and denouncing James when she ran for office on the pledge to nail Donald Trump for something, not even specifying what it might be,” he said.
“None of these people were objecting to any of that lawfare.”
James’ 2018 campaign for New York Attorney General included a promise to pursue Trump.
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