Retribution or accountability? New Yorkers respond to indictment of attorney general

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York Attorney General Letitia James was federally indicted Thursday on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. The charges—misrepresenting real estate to secure favorable loan terms—were rebuked by allies who called it political revenge, while critics framed the indictment as overdue accountability for New York’s top law enforcer.

Ahead of the indictment, Trump himself had posted on Truth Social on October 4, claiming, “Corrupt Letitia James is costing New York state hundreds of billions of dollars in lost business.” He called her a “complete and total disaster” and reiterated his belief that she should be removed from office.

“No one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan on Thursday. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”

Indeed, conservatives who support President Donald Trump consistently echoed the repeated and apparently ironic public refrain from James that no one is above the law. They said the indictment validated their concerns about her conduct.

The charges expose “a staggering hypocrisy,” according to Republican Assemblymember Chris Tague. “The irony is rich; James built her career accusing others of fraud and now faces federal charges for allegedly lying on mortgage documents.” He added, “I hope her jury is fairer than the president’s.”

“When powerful people cheat to get better loans, it comes at the expense of hardworking people,” tweeted Republican Congressmember Mike Lawler, using even more of James’s words against her. “It would seem, based on her own tweets, she believes [mortgage fraud] is a prosecutable offense as it resulted in a more favorable loan.”

And State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt tweeted simply on Friday: “No one is above the law.”

Republican State Senator Mark Walczyk added another layer by calling out the Section 702 provision of the state’s annual budget, referring to it as a “private attorney slush fund” for political allies. “Governor Kathy Hochul must not use a single taxpayer dollar to fund the defense of private citizen Letitia James,” he argued.

Republican Congressmember Claudia Tenney tweeted that James “used taxpayer money to maliciously prosecute President Trump over non-crimes,” and called the fraud allegations legitimate.

Calling the indictment of the corrupt attorney general long overdue, Republican Congressmember Elise Stefanik said it “represents a critical step toward restoring accountability and the rule of law.” She lampooned James for underreporting income and assets and further accused her of illegally weaponizing her office for a “political witch hunt” against Trump.

“James clearly understood mortgage laws, and appears to have broken them anyway for significant financial gain,” said New York State Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar.

But “I am not fearful, I am fearless,” James said in response to the indictment. She denounced the move as a politically motivated attack orchestrated by Trump. She called the charges a baseless “continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.” She alleged that the president is forcing “federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding.”

The indictment comes as a civil fraud case James’s office brought against President Donald Trump and his company continues in New York. James pointed to her successful litigation against the Trump Organization, which resulted in court findings that the org, the president, and his two sons are liable for fraud. James said her investigation “was based on the facts and evidence—not politics.”

According to Abbe David Lowell, the attorney representing James, “When a President can publicly direct charges to be filed against someone—when it was reported that career attorneys concluded none were warranted—it marks a serious attack on the rule of law.”

Support from political allies condemned the indictment as political intimidation. In a firestorm of public statements, many New York Democrats echoed James’s claim of political retribution, underlining the timing of legal victories against the former president. Democratic Assemblymember Charles Lavine called the prosecution appalling and disgusting, and Democratic State Senator Patricia Fahy called it “something we expect from tyrants in authoritarian regimes.”

Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.”

State Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs said, “The indictment of Attorney General Tish James is nothing less than political retribution by a vindictive felon who happens to occupy the White House.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin roasted Halligan, a former Trump aide with no prior federal prosecutorial experience. They claimed Halligan replaced former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Republican Erik Siebert, and career prosecutors who refused to charge James.

According to Martin, “This is a line that cannot be uncrossed.”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand agreed, arguing, “Career government attorneys found insufficient evidence to bring charges in this case, but President Trump’s handpicked prosecutor plowed ahead regardless.”

Indeed, contradicting public reports that Siebert had resigned, Trump posted on Truth Social on September 20, saying, “No, I fired him, and there is a great case” against James.

“This is what tyranny looks like,” Schumer said.

“Trump had to fire or pressure multiple prosecutors before finding one willing to bring this case makes clear this isn’t about justice,” said Democratic State Senator Sean Ryan. “It’s about revenge, and it’s a perversion of the justice system that threatens the rule of law itself.”

“This indictment is blatant political persecution and yet another authoritarian power grab by Trump,” said Democratic State Senator Andrew Gounardes.

“The U.S. Constitution, courts, and system of laws must never be used to punish political foes, to intimidate, or to pursue retribution,” said Democratic State Senator Shelley Mayer. She rejected the indictment, calling it “political retaliation for Attorney General James doing her job.”

“The garbage indictment of our superb New York State Attorney General, Tish James, by a Department of Justice corrupted by the 34-time convicted felon President must be dismissed by the court,” said Democratic Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz. “Being the target of a Trump-ordered indictment is a badge of honor, just like being on Nixon’s enemies list.”

“The timing and circumstances—coming after the President publicly demanded prosecutions of his political opponents—create the appearance of political motivation that undermines public trust in the Justice Department,” said Democratic Assemblymember Harry Bronson.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “The ongoing weaponization of the DOJ is a direct threat to our democracy.”

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said, “Donald Trump has been blatant about his goals—to weaponize the federal government against the people brave enough to stand up to him.”

New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado also offered support for James, tweeting, “When you stand up to power, it pushes back.”

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani agreed, explaining, “Donald Trump knows her only as an obstacle to his corruption.”

Democratic ex-Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, who could be considered James’s former boss, struck a murkier, more pragmatic tone than other Democrats in a tweet that didn’t specify any names: “When the law is weaponized or manipulated to advance political agendas, it erodes public trust and weakens the very foundation of justice.”

James also amassed support from advocates and activists. “Black women who speak truth to power have faced intimidation, retaliation, and attempts to silence our voices,” reads a statement from the NAACP New York State Conference.

The New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union released a joint statement: “President Trump’s open interference in the Department of Justice’s investigation—demanding charges, forcing out the prosecutor, and installing a loyalist—is a stunning violation of our country’s long tradition of an independent judicial system.”

“This is not just an attack on one person—it’s an attack on the rule of law itself,” read a statement from the Not Above the Law coalition’s co-chairs: Lisa Gilbert from Public Citizen, Praveen Fernandes from the Constitutional Accountability Center, Kelsey Herbert from MoveOn; and Brett Edkins from Stand Up America.

Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, said, “The Trump regime’s willingness to trample the rule of law continues unabated.”

According to Yvonne Armstrong, president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, said, “The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU stand with AG James as she defends herself against this outrageous political vendetta.”

The indictment follows a long period of public and legal conflict between James, the first Black woman elected to a statewide office in New York, and Trump. It comes just two weeks after a criminal case charged former FBI Director James Comey, who also faced political attacks from Trump, of lying to Congress. U.S. Attorney Halligan also brought the case against Comey, whose lawyer called it a vindictive prosecution.