New York Attorney General Letitia James quickly hit back at President Donald Trump after his Justice Department indicted her for mortgage fraud, calling the charges “baseless.”
“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James declared in a video response to the shocking Thursday indictment.
Citing the president’s own statements, New York’s top prosecutor said the charges brought by the Trump administration are nothing more than “political retribution” for her successful prosecution of Trump for business fraud.
“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as a New York State Attorney General,” said James, who noted that Trump fired a U.S. attorney who refused to bring charges against her, only to replace the prosecutor with someone who is “blindly loyal not to the law but to the president.”
James said she stands “strongly” behind her office’s litigation against the Trump Organization.
“We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence, not politics. Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company and his two sons were liable for fraud,” she asserted.
New York’s first female and African-American attorney general called Trump’s actions a “grave violation of our constitutional order.” She also noted that the move has “drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties.”
“This is the time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak out against this blatant perversion of our system of justice,” she urged.
James said, as a woman of faith, she knows that “faith and fear cannot share the same space,” adding, “I’m not fearful; I’m fearless.”
“As my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights, and I will continue to do my job,” she said.
This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.
I am not fearful — I am fearless.
We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. pic.twitter.com/X9U0EsHuGM
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) October 9, 2025
The New York Working Families Party blasted the Trump indictment of James, whom they called a “fighter for our communities.”
“She has always had New York’s back, and New Yorkers will always have hers,” said co-directors Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila.
“Tish is a leader with an impeccable moral compass and the unwavering courage to stand up to bullies and hold the powerful accountable. And that’s exactly why she’s under attack by Trump,” said the progressive leaders. “This indictment is nothing more than a politically motivated attack by Trump’s Justice Department aimed at intimidating a Black woman who dares to hold Trump accountable.”
They added, “New York will fight back. Hands off Tish James.”
