WASHINGTON (AP) — The coalition of New York NAACP chapters had just begun its annual state convention when Letitia James, a longtime member and the state’s attorney general, canceled her appearance.
James had just been indicted by the Justice Department for alleged mortgage fraud, a charge which she called “baseless” and “a grave violation of our constitutional order.”
For the New York convention’s organizers, the moment was alarming and underscored the gathering’s importance, which featured multiple sessions on building political power at the state level in response to what NAACP leaders called federal attacks on social welfare, civil rights, and the rule of law.
“It was through our collective action that a democracy was built,” said NAACP New York State Conference President L. Joy Williams. “What we have to do is not only defend against what is happening now, but we have to push further past where we were before, to build a system to build a better American democracy that we all deserve.”
The indictment of James, who had previously prosecuted the Trump Organization for business fraud, immediately sparked debate over whether the justice system had been politicized for President Donald Trump’s personal grievances. It also drew many parallels with the recent effort by Trump to remove a Federal Reserve Board governor, Lisa Cook, from her post over similar allegations.
Claims against James and Cook carry symbolic weight
Advocates see some of Trump’s recent moves as exceptionally targeted at Black women leaders.
“This is something that we’ve been grappling with since the start of this administration,” said Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women, the country’s oldest civil rights organization for Black women.
The claims also have symbolic weight to Black families, Arline-Bradley said, where property ownership has historically been restricted by the legal system through outright and implicit discrimination.
Homeownership has since become a disproportionate — and sometimes sole — avenue of wealth creation for Black Americans. And a recent national survey shows a widening of the racial wealth gap between white and Black individuals, even as income has increased for Black workers.
“When you attack someone’s home, you attack their ability to own, you attack their ability to have choice, you have attacked their ability to make a statement about their economic future,” Arline-Bradley said. “This is a consistent pattern that has highlighted what they think is an Achilles’ heel in the Black community.”
Black women, Arline-Bradley added, “feel very targeted” because of the president’s words and actions, which she said was rooted in “a misunderstanding about the accomplishments and leadership of these women.”
‘One tier of justice for all Americans’
The Trump administration contends its prosecution of James over alleged mortgage fraud is justified and impartial.
“No one is above the law,” Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement. “The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust. The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
And Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote, “One tier of justice for all Americans” shortly after James’ indictment in a post on X.
Critics of the administration have countered that the administration’s actions amount to political retribution and an attempt to unlawfully consolidate power. Black leaders have further argued that the administration’s actions have come at the expense of trailblazing Black leaders and Black communities.
“President Trump has made clear through his own public comments against Attorney General James that the goal of this indictment is simply to exact retribution against his political opponents,” Yvette Clark, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a statement.
“The American people see this corrupt prosecution for what it is — a desperate attempt by President Trump to weaponize the justice system. It will not withstand public or legal scrutiny,” she added.
Case against James ‘very uncommon,’ legal expert says
In addition to James, the Trump Justice Department has indicted former FBI Director James Comey for making a false statement and obstruction of justice related to a 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony.
The Justice Department is also investigating Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, for mortgage fraud. Trump has called for Schiff, who was the lead manager of Trump’s first impeachment, to be jailed.
Experts question the merits and motives of the mortgage fraud inquiries.
“It is very uncommon for prosecutors to bring these sorts of claims absent a pattern of malicious activity or evidence that the individual has actually harmed the bank by not paying their mortgage or if it’s part of a much larger fraudulent scheme,” said Paul Schiff Berman, a professor of law at the George Washington University School of Law.
For James, Berman said, “the claim is that she said that the house was going to be used as her second home but she also used it as a rental property sometimes,” which Berman said could be argued as a reasonable use for a second home and likely not in violation of a typical mortgage contract.
Regardless of the ensuing legal debates, allies of James say they are ready to support her in whatever manner is needed. Organizers at the New York conference say she is welcome to return to the event when ready.
“While we are responding in this moment, this is also happening to her, and so we want to give her space,” said Williams, the New York NAACP leader. “And the thing about home is you can always go there. So we know she’ll always come back.”
