Letitia James is accused of bank fraud and is one of three people critical of the president who have been criminally charged in recent weeks
the New York attorney general who prosecuted the current president of the United States in 2021, pleaded not guilty this Friday (24) to the charge of bank fraud. James, one of three Trump critics who have been criminally charged in recent weeks, made the statement in a federal court appearance in Norfolk, Virginia, Fox News and CNN reported. The presiding judge set the trial date for January 26. James faces one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a property he purchased in Virginia in 2020.
“This isn’t about me. It’s about all of us and a justice system that has been instrumentalized (…) as a tool of revenge,” James said outside the courtroom after reading the charges. Abbe Lowell, James’ lawyer, said he intends to file a motion for the case to be dismissed because it is a vindictive and selective process. The case against the prosecutor was brought a day after another Trump opponent, former FBI director James Comey, pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a legislative proceeding.
John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser before becoming a harsh critic of the Republican president, was charged last week with misuse of classified information. Bolton also pleaded not guilty. The cases against James and Comey were brought by Trump-appointed Attorney General Lindsey Halligan after the previous prosecutor resigned citing a lack of evidence against them.
Vengeful lawsuit
Trump recently urged his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to take action against James, Comey and others he considers enemies, in an escalation of his campaign against political opponents. Following Trump’s departure from the White House in 2021, James filed a civil fraud lawsuit against him, alleging that the Republican had illegally increased his wealth and manipulated the value of his properties to obtain bank loans on favorable terms.
A New York state judge ordered Trump to pay $464 million, but a higher court later overturned the financial penalty, although it upheld the substantive ruling. James appealed the decision. In addition to James and Comey, Trump also publicly called for the prosecution of Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who led the first political trial against the president in the House of Representatives.
Comey’s attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, has filed a motion requesting the case against the former FBI chief be dismissed, claiming it is a vindictive and selective process — the same reasons James’ defense will also appeal.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has taken a series of punitive measures against perceived enemies, purging government officials he considered disloyal, targeting law firms involved in previous cases against him and withdrawing federal funds from universities.
*With information from AFP
Published by Fernando Dias
