ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Democratic New York State Attorney General Letitia James rejected a recent federal indictment on Thursday, calling the charges against her a baseless case of revenge for doing her job.
The attorney general made the statement at a New York City news conference alongside Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair Janno Lieber.
“I am totally innocent,” James said.
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James, Lieber and Hochul were celebrating a court win that ordered the Department of Homeland Security to award New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority nearly $34 million in anti-terrorism funding improperly withheld by President Donald Trump.
James faces federal felony charges in the Eastern District of Virginia for alleged bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
The Department of Justice alleged the attorney general lied to banks for a 2020 Virginia home loan, misrepresenting her property as a residence to get a better interest rate despite it being rented out. Federal prosecutors said her misrepresentation was worth about $18,933 over the life of the loan.
James vowed to “vigorously defend those charges.” Her initial court appearance is set for Friday in Virginia.
James, the first Black woman elected to a statewide office in New York, called the indictment “nothing more than retribution” for successful litigation against Trump, his two elder sons, and his companies. A civil fraud case against them resulted in a court finding the Trumps liable for fraud.
