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new york Attorney General letitia james The president’s third challenger is set to make her first court appearance in a mortgage fraud case on Friday donald trump He is scheduled to face a judge on federal charges in recent weeks.
James was convicted earlier this month of bank fraud and charges of making false statements to a financial institution regarding a home purchase in 2020. norfolkVirginia. The charges came as the official overseeing the investigation was ousted by the Trump administration and the president publicly called on the Justice Department to take action against James and his other political enemies.
James, a Democrat who has sued Trump and his administration dozens of times, has denied wrongdoing and condemned the indictment as “nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.”
The indictment stems from James purchasing a modest home in Norfolk, where he has family. During the sale, she signed a standard document called a “second home rider”, in which she agreed to hold the property primarily for “personal use and enjoyment for at least one year”, unless the lender agrees otherwise.
The indictment alleges that instead of using the home as a second residence, James rented it out to a family of three. According to the indictment, the misrepresentations allowed James to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties.
James drew Trump’s ire when she won a surprise verdict against the president and his companies in a lawsuit alleging they defrauded banks by overstating the value of their real estate on financial statements. An appeals court overturned the fine, which had increased to more than $500 million including interest, but upheld a lower court’s ruling that Trump had committed fraud.
James’s indictment follows the resignation of Eric Siebert as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after he resisted Trump administration pressure to bring charges. Siebert was replaced by White House aide and former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who had never previously served as a federal prosecutor and had personally presented James’ case to the grand jury.
On Thursday, James’ lawyers asked for an order to prevent prosecutors from disclosing to the news media information about the investigation, or the contents of the case, outside of court.
The motion follows revelations earlier this week that Halligan contacted a reporter from Lawfare, a media organization that covers legal and national security issues, over an encrypted text messaging platform to discuss the James prosecution and complain about its coverage. The reporter published the exchange between him and Halligan.
“This exchange was a stunning disclosure of internal government information,” James’ lawyers wrote.
He added: “It is pointed out that Ms. Halligan has no prosecutorial experience at all. But all federal prosecutors are required to know and follow the rules governing their conduct from their first day on the job, and so no lack of experience can excuse her violations.”
The proposal also states that the government must preserve all communications with media representatives as well as prevent the deletion of any records or communications related to the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Separately on Thursday, defense lawyers said they intended to challenge Halligan’s appointment, a move also taken this week by lawyers for the former FBI director. James Comey In a separate case filed by Halligan.
Trump’s third rival, former national security adviser John Bolton, pleaded not guilty last week to charges of emailing classified information to family members and keeping top secret documents at his Maryland home.
The Justice Department is also investigating mortgage fraud allegations against Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, whom Trump has asked to prosecute on charges related to a property in Maryland. In a separate hostage investigation, officials are investigating allegations against Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, who is challenging the Trump administration’s effort to remove her from the job.
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Richter reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.