New York Attorney General Letitia James is due in court Oct. 24 after a federal grand jury in Virginia charged her with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. She is the next in a growing lineup of President Donald Trump's perceived foes to face federal charges during his second term.
The expected court appearance would be her first in the case, which was brought less than three weeks after Trump publicly called for her to face charges and replaced a longtime prosecutor, who reportedly didn't believe there was enough evidence to bring the case, with his former personal lawyer, Lindsey Halligan.
"This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. 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 statement following the indictment.
Halligan, who has never before been a prosecutor, was formally appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, a close Trump ally, to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan was the only federal prosecutor to sign James' indictment. James said in an Oct. 23 court filing that she planned to file a motion on Oct. 24 challenging the lawfulness of Halligan's appointment.
