NY Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed by DOJ to investigate whether she violated Trump’s civil rights

An attorney for James blasted the federal probe as the “most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign.”

The Trump administration is continuing to fulfill President Donald Trump‘s campaign promise to seek retribution against his political enemies. The U.S. Department of Justice opened up federal investigations into the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James. The nation’s top law enforcement agency said it is seeking to determine whether James violated the civil rights of Trump or others.

According to The New York Times, James’s office was sent two subpoenas related to two cases she prosecuted: her civil fraud case against Trump, in which he was ordered to pay half a billion dollars, and a financial corruption case against the National Rifle Association.

The move by the acting U.S. attorney in Albany, New York, who is also a Trump loyalist, is unusual, as the federal government doesn’t ordinarily intervene in such state proceedings. However, it is likely unsurprising, given Trump’s years-long animosity toward James.

James ran for office in 2018 with a campaign promise to go after Trump amid allegations of financial fraud made against him. In 2022, she launched a fraud prosecution case against Trump for inflating the value of his real estate assets to acquire more favorable bank loans. A court ultimately found Trump guilty of fraud in the civil case based on evidence presented by James, who accused him of demonstrating the “art of the steal“–a dig at his New York Times best-selling book “The Art of the Deal.”

Abbe Lowell, an attorney for James, said any federal probe into Trump’s fraud case would represent the “most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign.”

“Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration,” said Lowell, according to the Times. “If prosecutors carry out this improper tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are ready and waiting with facts and the law.”

The latest action by the Trump administration comes months after a Trump official sent a federal criminal referral letter to the DOJ, accusing New York’s top prosecutor of possibly falsifying her real estate records to receive favorable loan terms. At the time, Trump called the New York attorney a “crook.”

“Letitia James, a totally corrupt politician, should resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY,” said Trump, who is the first convicted individual to serve as president of the United States.

James fired back at Trump after the April escalation, calling the administration’s allegations “baseless.” Defending her successful prosecution of the president, she added, “The allegations are nothing more than a revenge tour.”