NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Justice Department under President Donald Trump is intensifying its focus on New York Attorney General Letitia James by issuing a subpoena for documents related to the $454 million civil judgment she secured against Trump for misrepresenting his wealth, according to a source acquainted with the matter who spoke with The Associated Press.
The subpoena is linked to an inquiry into whether James infringed upon Trump’s civil rights, as stated by another individual. These sources, who were not authorized to openly discuss the investigation, communicated with the AP on the condition of anonymity.
A separate subpoena has been issued for documents concerning James’ legal case involving the National Rifle Association, another source knowledgeable about the situation disclosed. In addition, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has recently appointed a special prosecutor to assist in a mortgage fraud investigation related to James.
James has legally challenged Trump and his Republican administration multiple times, contesting his presidential policies and the operations of his private business ventures. Trump had promised during his campaign to retaliate against adversaries, and these actions targeting James represent some of the most serious attempts by the Justice Department against Trump’s political adversaries.
Here’s what to know about James and the escalating investigations:
James says she’s being politically targeted
The Democratic attorney general has denied any wrongdoing and said the mortgage probe is politically motivated.
Her personal attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, called the subpoenas “improper.”
“Utilizing the Department of Justice as a tool to punish an elected official for executing her duties is an assault on the rule of law and represents a perilous escalation by this administration,” said Lowell.
‘The art of the steal’
James is recognized as the first Black woman elected to a statewide position in New York, serving as the state’s first Black attorney general and the first woman to hold that office. During the 2018 campaign, she targeted Trump, labeling him a “con man” and promising to scrutinize every shadowy corner of his real estate transactions.
As soon as she took office, James launched several lawsuits over his immigration and environmental policies. She inherited a state lawsuit against Trump’s charitable foundation and steered it to a settlement that included a $2 million fine.
She filed another civil lawsuit against Trump in September 2022, alleging that his company deceived banks, insurers and others by overvaluing assets and his net worth on financial paperwork.
“It’s the art of the steal,” she said when announcing the case against Trump, turning the title of Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal” against him.
Trump says James never intended to be fair
In 2024, a New York judge ruled that Trump lied for years about his wealth and ordered him to pay $354.9 million in penalties plus nearly $100 million in interest.
Trump is appealing the judgement. He also posted a $175 million bond to halt the state from collecting what he owes and seizing his assets.
Trump says his financial statements actually understated his wealth and that any mistakes in the documents were harmless errors that played no role in banks’ lending decisions. He and his lawyers repeatedly accused James of engaging in “lawfare” for political purposes — a claim she denies.
Trump has long criticized James′ legal volleys as political theater designed to catapult her to fame. Trump also complained that her comments about him, prior to her election, show she never intended to be fair.
‘Corporate death penalty’
In her role as a regulator of charities and nonprofit groups registered in New York, James sued the NRA and its longtime leader Wayne LaPierre. A jury last year found that LaPierre misspent millions of dollars and used the organization’s funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle, while the NRA itself failed to properly manage its assets and violated whistleblower protections.
A New York judge also banned LaPierre from holding a paid position with the organization for a decade, but declined to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the group.
James had sought to dissolve the powerful gun advocacy organization, however a judge ruled that the allegations did not warrant a “corporate death penalty.”
Mortgage fraud investigation
FBI Director Kash Patel in May confirmed James was being investigated after a Trump administration official accused her of mortgage fraud. James’ lawyer says the accusation was a lie based on a purposeful misreading of documents.
The investigation centers on forms James signed in 2023 while helping a niece buy a home in Norfolk, Virginia. One form stated that James intended to occupy the home as her “principal residence.” But in other documents, James made clear she had no intention of living there. An email to the mortgage loan broker two weeks before she signed the documents stated the property “WILL NOT be my primary residence.”
This week, Bondi named Ed Martin as a special prosecutor to help conduct a mortgage fraud investigation into James, according to the person familiar with the matter. James denied any wrongdoing and called the claim politically motivated.
Martin leads the Weaponization Working Group, which is examining Trump’s claims of anti-conservative bias inside the Justice Department. Martin’s nomination for District of Columbia U.S. attorney was pulled amid Republican lawmakers’ concerns about his scant prosecutorial experience and support for Jan. 6 rioters.
