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Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James was vague and defiant in her first interview since allegations surfaced that she has repeatedly engaged in mortgage fraud.
On Thursday, James appeared on "Inside City Hall" with Spectrum NY1 to discuss the allegations, though she apparently did little more than to call them "baseless."
"Let me just say to all New Yorkers and to all Americans: The allegations are baseless," she said.
When pressed to give more information, James dodged. "As you know, as any good attorney, I will not litigate this case in a camera," she replied.
"It is important that we respond to these allegations at the appropriate time and in an appropriate way."
James also went on the attack, characterizing herself as one of many victims "targeted" by President Donald Trump and his "revenge tour."
"I will not be silenced. I will not be bullied. I will not bend. I will not break. And I will not bow to anyone. No one is above the law, including the president of these United States," she insisted.
"I will not go back and forth with respect to these baseless allegations. I am more focused again on standing up for freedom, liberties, and the rule of law in the state of New York."
James seemed less confident and bombastic on Wednesday, just one day before the Spectrum NY interview, when she ducked the media outside her Brooklyn residence by pretending to be on the phone, the New York Post reported. The outlet described the phone ploy as "inartful."
Law professor Jonathan Turley indicated that the evidence against James is not only 'pretty straightforward' but 'quite damning.'
James may claim that the allegations swirling about are "baseless," but other legal scholars aren't so sure. On Fox News Tuesday night, law professor Jonathan Turley indicated that the evidence against James is not only "pretty straightforward" but "quite damning."
In August 2023, James, 66, and a relative purchased a home in Norfolk, Virginia. In documents tied to the purchase, James pledged to use the home as her "principal residence," an apparent violation of a New York statute that requires all statewide officeholders to reside in New York, as Blaze News previously reported.
James has also allegedly violated the terms of her investment property in Brooklyn, claiming it has only four units when previous documentation indicates it has five.
According to William Pulte, the director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, the purpose of fudging the number of units would be to secure a conforming loan from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. To qualify for a conforming loan, a property may have no more than four units.
Pulte further alleged that James even went so far as to list her father as her husband to secure a mortgage loan in 1983. In forms dated May 2000, "Ms. James was listed again as 'husband and wife,'" according to Pulte, though whether her father was also mentioned in those documents is unclear.
Pulte sent a letter this week, recommending that Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche look into whether James committed wire, mail, and bank fraud and made false statements to a financial institution, among other crimes.
Despite this alleged history of falsifying real estate documents for better lending terms, James ruthlessly targeted Trump in a lawfare campaign that began shortly after he left office at the end of his first term. Turley joked that she "prosecuted Trump for everything short of ripping a label off a mattress."
She even brazenly sued Trump and the Trump Organization for allegedly overvaluing properties to secure better terms with banks and insurance companies. The irony that James now faces similar accusations is "perfectly crushing," Turley said.
Turley also cautioned that in her relentless pursuit of Trump, James set a standard that she may not be able to meet herself.
"She insisted that these technicalities matter and that the powerful should not be given a free pass," Turley explained. "Well, that bill has come due."
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