New York Attorney General, Letitia James, speaks after pleading not guilty outside the United States District Court on Friday, October 24, 2025, in Norfolk, Virginia. JOHN CLARK / AP
The New York attorney general who successfully prosecuted Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Friday, October 24, to bank fraud charges and accused the president of using the justice system as a "tool of revenge." Letitia James, 67, one of three prominent Trump critics to be hit with criminal charges in recent weeks, entered the not guilty plea at an arraignment in a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia. The presiding judge set a trial date of January 26. James faces one count of bank fraud and a second one of making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a property she purchased in Virginia in 2020.
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Speaking to supporters outside the courtroom following the brief arraignment, James said the Trump administration is using the justice system as a "vehicle of retribution." "This is not about me," she said. "This is about all of us, and about a justice system which has been weaponized, a justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge." A handful of supporters outside the courthouse held up signs saying "Defend Democracy" and "Revenge Is Not Democracy."
