New York's attorney general led the legal fight against Trump, and he has now mobilized the Justice Department to prosecute it.
I spent Thursday texting with a group of friends about whether and how blue states could unite if President Trump invoked the Insurrection Act as Santa Monica Goebbels (Stephen Miller) is clearly eager to do. I was sure of only one thing: the Democratic attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, had already looking at this. The group began meeting before Trump was elected to develop legal strategies for his likely attack on the rule of law. After seeing what he's done in eight months, they're preparing for the worst.
Now James herself has become a victim of this attack. Her indictment on at least one count of mortgage fraud is, in my opinion, far worse than what happened to former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted this week on a perjury charge, although it is terrible. Comey has largely withdrawn from public life; James has been at the forefront of the resistance to Trump. I don't expect her to give up this fight because of this, but I think it needs to be said: This is one of the worst things this terrible president has done. (Obviously, grabbing brown people on the streets and detaining them is where it's at. It's so hard to pick just one!)
Related article
It is difficult to predict the direction of the moral universe in Trump's America, but this vendetta prosecution is almost certain to fail. For those who weren't paying close attention, earlier this year a Trump sycophant discovered one document in a mortgage James sponsored for a relative that said she intended to live in the house as her primary residence. All other mortgage documents showed that she correctly stated that she was helping her niece buy the property and would not be living there. Trump's Justice Department has already used such minor violations as weapons against California Senator Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook. This is a shaky case.
Perhaps just as important, Trump publicly declared war on James, who successfully prosecuted him for business fraud. Best known in True Social Post What Wall Street Journal In the reports, and the White House admits it was a private message, Trump essentially ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute James along with Comey and Schiff:
Pam: I've looked at over 30 statements and posts that say it's essentially “the same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing gets done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia???…We can't put it off any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility. They've impeached and charged me twice. (5 times!), FOR NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE DONE NOW!!! President of JT.
This is a ridiculous and vindictive prosecution. When I first heard this news, I thought our legal correspondent Elie Mistal should write about it, but then this farce would be considered worthy of legal analysis. “This is someone writing ‘I’m coming for you’ in blood on the bathroom wall,” Mistal wrote to me. “It's not an accusation, it's a threat.”
Current number
I introduced James back in August and has focused its role on the resistance to Trump. Many of my sources contacted us immediately after this news broke. “Tish James was elected to protect the rights of New Yorkers and prosecute criminals like Donald Trump,” Eileen O'Connor, Leader NYCD16/15-Indivisible groupwrote to me. “She has done an amazing job! The Department of Justice has weaponized its power and is wasting our taxpayers' money to prosecute Tish and others who resist tyranny.”
Higher Heights for America, which works to elect black women, wrote: “Trump's latest move against Letitia James is blatant political retaliation, a dangerous abuse of power, and a direct attack on black women in leadership.”
The Working Families Party's email was most succinct. Subject line: “Hands off Tish James.” (WFP is sponsoring a rally of that name in New York's Foley Square on Friday at 5:30.)
I also liked this post from a friend: “Trump messed with the wrong black woman.”
My immediate reaction to this news was anger. I thought about the conversation I had with James over coffee in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, that had been left on the cutting room floor as we struggled to fit my profile into a publishable length. I asked James directly: How afraid should we be of Trump and his cronies? “I don’t think we should be afraid,” she responded immediately. “The time has come for us to stand up and defend our rights and freedoms, defend our democracy and defend the rule of law. We must fight back and not be afraid. There are more of us than there are of them.”
A day earlier, protesters had blocked several ICE vans in lower Manhattan, and I half-jokingly asked her if I should join if the protests continued.
“I'd really like to see that. I'll defend you in court, I'll be your lawyer. Okay? Okay. And I won't bring any charges against you. Pro bono.” I say this will make my daughter feel better and she says, “Yeah, tell your daughter, relax. I'll get you out. Tell her I have a good lawyer. It'll take a couple of hours, but I'll be there for you.”
Popular
“swipe left below to view more authors”Swipe →
I think we were joking, but I took seriously her desire to encourage and advocate for peaceful protest. We titled the article: “Letitia James, New York's Badass Attorney General.”
James still says she's not afraid. I'm going to end it completely statementpublished shortly after her indictment became known:
“This is nothing more than a continuation of the President's desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement to do his bidding, all because I did my job as New York State Attorney General.
“These allegations are unfounded, and the President's own public statements make it clear that his sole goal is political retribution at any cost. The President's actions are a serious violation of our constitutional order and have drawn harsh criticism from members of both parties.
“His decision to fire the United States Attorney who refused to bring charges against me and replace him with someone who has blind allegiance not to the law but to the President is contrary to the founding principles of our country. It is time for leaders on both sides to speak out against this blatant perversion of our justice system.”
“I strongly support my office's lawsuit against the Trump Organization. We conducted a two-year investigation based on facts and evidence, not politics. The judges upheld the trial court's finding that Donald Trump, his company and his two sons were responsible 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 afraid, I am fearless, and as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me will work. We will aggressively fight these unfounded charges, and my office will continue to fiercely defend New Yorkers and their rights. And I will continue to do my part.” work.”
More from Nation
In his weekly newsletter, Elie Mystal explores everything from a failed plot against Supreme Court justices to an ongoing plot to disrupt mail-in voting.
A Tennessee representative explains why he's facing off against Steve Cohen for the Democratic nomination to represent the Memphis area in Washington.
