Staff Reports
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a prominent figure in the Democratic Party and a chief adversary of former President Donald Trump, is now facing a federal criminal referral for alleged mortgage fraud. The referral, made by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to the Department of Justice, accuses James of falsifying bank documents and property records to secure government-backed loans and more favorable lending terms. This development comes on the heels of her high-profile civil fraud case against Trump, which resulted in a staggering $454 million judgment against him and his business empire.
The allegations against James are strikingly similar to those she once leveled at Trump. According to the FHFA, James claimed a Norfolk, Virginia, property as her primary residence on a mortgage application in 2023, despite her legal obligation to reside in New York while serving as the state’s attorney general. The referral further contends that James misrepresented the number of units in a Brooklyn property she purchased in 2001, listing it as a four-unit building to qualify for a better loan, even though official records indicated it had five units. These actions, if proven, could constitute wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements to a financial institution.
James’s office has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated retaliation, accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing the federal government against its opponents. However, the irony is hard to ignore. For years, James has championed the mantra that “no one is above the law,” using her office to pursue Trump and his associates for alleged financial misdeeds. Now, she finds herself under the same scrutiny, facing accusations of the very conduct she so zealously prosecuted.
This episode raises serious questions about double standards and the selective application of justice. Conservatives have long warned that the left’s aggressive use of lawfare against political opponents would eventually come full circle. The spectacle of James, who built her reputation on rooting out financial fraud, now being accused of similar tactics, is a textbook case of poetic justice. It underscores the need for consistency in the rule of law—if Trump and his associates can be dragged through years of litigation over alleged misrepresentations, then so too should those on the other side of the political aisle be held to account.
Ultimately, this unfolding saga is a stark reminder that those who wield the power of prosecution must themselves be held to the highest standards. The American people deserve a justice system that is blind to politics and unwavering in its commitment to fairness. If Letitia James is found to have broken the law, she should face the same consequences she demanded for others. Anything less would only confirm the public’s worst suspicions about a two-tiered system of justice in America.
