Letitia James Pleads Not Guilty In Mortgage Fraud Case
On Friday, Oct. 24, New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded “not guilty” to federal charges of mortgage fraud during her first court appearance in Virginia.
AP reports that the Department of Justice accused Letitia James of bank fraud and making false statements in filings related to a 2020 home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia. The judge set a trial date for Jan. 25, though James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, told the judge the defense intends to have the case dismissed. Lowell argued that the case has no merit and is simply an attempt at political retribution by the president.
As James exited the courthouse on Friday, there were dozens of supporters chanting “We stand with Tish!” She briefly spoke to her supporters and said the case was about “a justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge…and a weapon against those individuals who simply did their job and who stood up for the rule of law.”
“My faith is strong, and I have this belief in the justice system and the rule of law, and I have a belief in America,” James added. “There’s no fear today.”
Letitia James is one of several political rivals Trump has weaponized the DOJ against. His beef with James largely comes from the fact that she’s consistently held him accountable for his wrongdoing and has scored several legal victories against him. In 2022, James launched several investigations into Trump’s financial dealings in New York. Her work eventually resulted in Trump and his organization being found liable for fraud and being hit with a $527 million civil penalty.
Calling the case against Letitia James shaky is an understatement. Former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert was pressured to resign by President Donald Trump due to his refusal to file charges against James. ABC News reports that the prosecutors who led the months-long investigation into James found that the evidence they gathered actually undermined the mortgage fraud charges Trump wanted to charge her with. Their investigation found that any financial gain she would’ve received from the allegedly falsified mortgage would have only amounted to $800 in the year she purchased the home.
Additionally, the vague language in the federal mortgage guidelines had the prosecutors concerned that they wouldn’t be able to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The optics of the case became even more unfavorable for the Trump administration when bank documents revealed that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made similar claims as the ones the DOJ is suing Letitia James over.
Trump went on to replace Siebert with his personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, who might be many things, but smart sure ain’t one of them. Earlier this week, reports came out that Halligan had engaged in unsolicited text exchanges with a journalist about the Letitia James case. I highly recommend reading NewsOne writer Zack Linly’s write-up on the exchange to truly grasp the severity of this woman’s stupidity.
As a result of that text exchange, James’s attorneys requested an order prohibiting prosecutors from speaking to the press about the investigation and materials regarding the case outside of court. The motion also asks that the government be ordered to preserve all communications with members of the press to prevent any communication related to the case from being deleted.
So to be clear, President Donald Trump fired the people who told him the charges had no weight, replaced them with an incompetent, inexperienced loyalist, and somehow thinks this is going to work out in his favor. How Trump doesn’t see that he’s just set himself up to likely take one of the most unnecessary, self-inflicted L’s is beyond me.
I, for one, am very much hoping to see Letitia James notch yet another legal victory against Donald Trump.
SEE ALSO:
President Trump Pressures Prosecutors To Charge Letitia James
Letitia James, AGs Sue DOJ Over Sex Assault Rule Change
Letitia James Is Holding Powerful, Corrupt White Men Accountable During Black History Month
Treasury Secretary Made Same Mortgage Claims As Lisa Cook
Trump’s DOJ Charges AG Letitia James With Bank Fraud
Letitia James Pleads Not Guilty In Mortgage Fraud Case was originally published on newsone.com
