New York Attorney General Letitia James is fighting back after a President Donald Trump administration official referred her to the Justice Department for alleged mortgage fraud. Her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, labelled the referral “improper political retribution” and connected it to her prior legal action against Trump.
What Happened: Federal Housing Director William Pulte accused James of presenting erroneous details on several mortgage applications, including listing a Virginia property as her primary residence, misstating the number of units in her Brooklyn house, and being identified as her father’s spouse on an old loan form.
Each claim was disputed in a letter Lowell sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. The letter claims that James had stated the Virginia property “Will not be my primary residence,” referred to documents depicting the Brooklyn building is a four-unit property, and noted that the 1983 deed lists her as her father’s daughter, not spouse.
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Why It Matters: James was the leading figure behind the civil fraud case against Trump that led to a $354 million penalty, now more than $500 million with interest. Lowell called the referral hypocritical, stating, “The stunning hypocrisy of Trump’s complaint that the Justice Department had been ‘politicized’… is laid bare.”
This comes at a time when James is leading another lawsuit against Trump over his “unconstitutional” new tariffs on foreign imports.
In the letter, Lowell appealed to Bondi to close the case, arguing that the allegations have been made on the basis of omissions and misinterpretations. “We would expect a quick response confirming that this referral matter has been closed,” he wrote.
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