Senior officials in the Trump administration are pressing federal prosecutors to take action against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has long been seen by conservatives as a politically motivated adversary of President Donald Trump.
According to a new ABC News report, Trump has personally urged Department of Justice leadership to investigate and pursue charges, while top officials like Ed Martin — head of the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group — and Bill Pulte — director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — are pressing the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to file charges.
Their focus: alleged mortgage fraud involving a Virginia property that James claimed as her primary residence in 2023, despite being required by law to reside in New York while serving as attorney general. Officials argue that James may have misled a financial institution to secure favorable mortgage terms, which would constitute a federal offense.
Although a five-month investigation has so far yielded what some career prosecutors say is “no clear evidence” of fraud, Trump allies argue that the matter deserves a full and transparent examination. They point out that politically connected Democrats often avoid scrutiny, while conservatives are aggressively pursued over far less.
The FBI’s criminal investigation into James was formally launched in May. At the time, U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III emphasized that his office will not shy away from its duty if evidence emerges:
“We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed there’s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump… my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.”
