Justice Department subpoenas New York AG James as it investigates whether she violated Trump rights
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Federal prosecutors in Albany have issued subpoenas to New York Attorney General Letitia James inquiring about her office's civil fraud case against President Trump and about her office's corruption case against the National Rifle Association, multiple sources told ABC News.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
A spokesperson for James called the subpoenas "weaponization of the justice system," invoking a criticism Trump used to describe her case against him that resulted in a half-billion dollar penalty.
"Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American. We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers' rights," the spokesperson said in a statement.
James has sued Trump and his administration dozens of times over his policies as president and over how he conducted his private business empire. Trump is appealing the multimillion dollar judgment she won against him in a lawsuit alleging that he defrauded banks and other lenders by giving them financial statements that inflated the value of his properties, including his golf clubs and penthouse in Trump Tower.
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 have repeatedly accused James of engaging in "lawfare" for political purposes - a claim she has denied.
James sued the NRA in 2020, accusing Wayne LaPierre and others of misappropriating donor funds to finance luxury items for themselves. The jury determined LaPierre owed more than $4 million.
The subpoenas, from the US Attorney's office for the Northern District of New York, are part of an investigation into whether James and her office violated the civil rights of Trump or the NRA executives, the sources said.
The subpoenas mark an escalation of the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to scrutinize perceived adversaries of the president, including those like James who had investigated Trump before his election win last November.
(The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.)
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