Democrats are rallying around New York Attorney General Letitia James after she was formally indicted on one count of alleged mortgage fraud in the Eastern District of Virginia’s federal court on Thursday, Oct. 9, according to reporting by the New York Law Journal. The outlet reported that the indictment comes months after the Federal Housing Finance Agency first referred James for criminal investigation for the alleged fraud.

 

According to the Associated Press, James was charged with bank fraud and with making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020. The attorney general has denied any wrongdoing.

 

The indictment was long expected as U.S. President Donald Trump seemingly continues to wield his power to exact retribution against his perceived political enemies. As reported, the attorney general previously sued the Trump Organization in a civil business fraud case in 2022 relating to the overvaluation of the company’s assets.

 

NBC reported in December 2024 that the president and his company had sought to avoid paying $486 million following a court ruling in his business fraud case. Trump has previously and broadly sought to dismiss various legal cases brought against him, downplaying them as “witch hunts.”

 

In August 2025, NPR reported that an appeals court upheld the original judgement in the business fraud case but ruled the financial penalty imposed of around $500 million too harsh. As reported, James was subsequently placed under investigation by the Trump administration over the possible mortgage fraud.

Since then, the attorney general has been actively fundraising with the expectation that the Trump administration would take such legal action against her, advising potential donors directly of this likely course of action. As reported, James has also previously sought to protect New Yorkers from the effects of Trump administration policies such as blocking changes to SNAP benefits.

 

In a video message on Thursday, in response to the indictment, James said, “This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing our federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as New York State Attorney General.”

 

She continued, “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost. The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties. His decision to fire a United States attorney who refused to bring charges against me and replace them with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law, but to the president, is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country.”

 

She added, “This is the time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak out against this blatant perversion of our system of justice.  I stand strongly behind my office’s litigation against the Trump Organization. We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence, not politics.”

 

She concluded, “Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons are liable for fraud. I am a proud woman of faith, and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space, and so today, I am not fearful. I am fearless, and as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights, and I will continue to do my job.”

The indictment may also be a move by the president intended to damage the reputation of Democratic New York mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, who James endorsed before the Democratic primary in June, much earlier than other Democrats. Trump has stated that he is not a fan of Mamdani and the feeling is, by all accounts, mutual. Reacting to news of the indictment, Mamdani said New Yorkers know James for who she is, describing her as a champion for justice who fights relentlessly for the people.

 

“Donald Trump knows her only as an obstacle to his corruption,” the assemblyman said. “No one should be surprised that Donald Trump is employing fascist tactics—prosecuting his opponents, weaponizing the federal government, and attacking the very fabric of our democracy.”

 

He added, “And Trump should not be surprised when millions of Americans stand up to his authoritarianism and his greed. If Trump wants to leverage baseless charges to visit political retribution on New York’s Attorney General, he’ll have to go through New Yorkers first. Tish James has had our back, time and again. We have hers.”

 

Reacting on Thursday to news of the indictment, Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) said, “The politically motivated indictment of Attorney General Letitia James is an abuse of power, a weaponization of government, at its most outrageous and egregious.”

 

He added, “It is the latest salvo in Donald Trump’s unrelenting war against American democracy. Rather than addressing the grocery and utility bills crushing American families, Donald Trump remains pathologically preoccupied with his personal enemies list. The persecution of political rivals has become the singular obsession of his failing presidency.”

Speaking to Norwood News at an unrelated event on Thursday in Spuyten Duyvil, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) was asked for his comment on the news. “I think most people see through this garbage indictment pushed by a someone who is a convicted felon 34 times over and I don’t think any decent lawyer takes the indictment seriously but unfortunately, an indictment is an indictment and the attorney general will have to take it seriously,” Dinowitz said.

 

He added, “I’m hoping that it’s actually dismissed before it even goes beyond words….already gone.. but that leaked text message that Trump sent to the federal attorney… the United States attorney general I think makes it pretty clear that the 34-time convicted felon president was instructing the attorney general to make sure that Tish James and [former FBI Director James] Comey and [U.S.] Sen. [Adam] Schiff,  and others get indicted and that’s disgusting. That’s an indication of an authoritarian type government that we seem to be moving towards.”

 

Schiff, who represents California, was the lead impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of the current president and and was one of nine members of the committee that lead the investigation into the January 6th 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.

 

Comey, meanwhile, was famously fired by Trump, with both men suggesting at one time or another that the reason was likely linked to the FBI’s Russia investigation, though Comey also said Trump asked him to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and he refused.

 

The Bronx Democratic Party, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), City Comptroller Brad Lander, and the NYS Black Legislative Task Force, among others, also issued statements on Thursday in support of James.

The governor said, “New Yorkers know @NewYorkStateAG James for her integrity, her independence, and her relentless fight for justice. What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.”

 

Lander said, “Keep your corrupt, grubby, abusive hands off Tish James, Donald Trump. Your cowardice is showing; weak men seek revenge on powerful women who hold them to account. But NY’rs don’t play. Our AG has been a fierce warrior for our rights, time & again. You better believe we’ll be there for hers.” Other statements are attached.

 

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said she was deeply disturbed by reports of the indictment “at the hands of the same Trump-appointed partisan prosecutor who was behind James Comey’s political indictment just two weeks ago.”

 

She added, “Once again, career government attorneys found insufficient evidence to bring charges in this case, but President Trump’s handpicked prosecutor plowed ahead regardless. This is obviously yet another example of the president weaponizing the federal government to pursue his political enemies. It is imperative that our justice system be guided by facts and fairness, not political retribution and pettiness.”

 

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) said, “This ridiculous overreach by Trump and his goons is ultimately about shutting down one of the most effective AGs in the country and one who is holding this administration accountable every day. Hands Off @TishJames! New Yorkers got her back!”

The senator later joined a rally outside the federal courthouse in Foley Square in lower Manhattan on Friday afternoon, Oct. 10, organized by the New York Working Families Party along with other elected officials, including State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (S.D. 34) to further condemn the indictment against the attorney general. Rivera led the crowd in a chant confirming in part that they were all certain James was going to stand up to “that bully in the White House.” The crowd also chanted at various intervals, “Keep your small hands off of Tish!”

 

Yvonne Armstrong, president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, said, “The Trump ‘Justice’ Department’s indictment of New York Attorney General Leticia James is a blatant act of political retaliation, and the latest step in Trump’s effort to undo the rule of law by weaponizing our public institutions against his critics.”

 

She added, “This is flagrant abuse of power and deeply alarming for our democracy. The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU stand with AG James as she defends herself against this outrageous political vendetta.”

 

Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila, co-directors of the New York Working Families Party, said James has long been a fighter for communities and has always had New York’s back. “New Yorkers will always have hers,” they said. “Tish is a leader with an impeccable moral compass and the unwavering courage to stand up to bullies and hold the powerful accountable. And that’s exactly why she’s under attack by Trump.”

 

The statement continued, “This indictment is nothing more than a politically motivated attack by Trump’s Justice Department aimed at intimidating a Black woman who dares to hold Trump accountable. New York will fight back. Hands off Tish James.”

 

Also on Friday, members of the City Council’s progressive caucus issued a statement in response to the indictment, writing, “Tish James leads a decades-spanning career of fighting the good fight and has consistently refused to go along to get along. We know this ruse for what it is. It’s a page from Trump’s classic authoritarian playbook: using legal scare tactics against anyone who dares to challenge his chaos and corruption.”

 

The statement continued, “The President indicts his enemies, yet rewards blatant corruption in his favor. We’ve seen up close what loyalty to this poisonous politics buys you. Our disgraced Mayor can get let off of bribery charges as long as he kisses the ring. Our fascist border czar Tom Honan is protected from the consequences of allegedly accepting $50,000 in an FBI sting operation because he’s implementing Trump’s extreme MAGA agenda.”

 

It concluded, “We are grateful to have a just and compassionate champion in our state’s top lawyer, and are with her in these dark days.”