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ew York Attorney General Letitia James defended her office's aggressive lawsuits against the Trump administration, boasting of 23 lawsuits filed to date. Speaking at a Manhattan event, she highlighted cases involving birthright citizenship, COVID grants, and AmeriCorps funding. James also criticized the administration's immigration policies, calling them "a blemish on our nation's moral fiber."

    When asked about investigations into her real estate dealings, including a criminal probe launched by the FBI and US Attorney's Office in Albany, James dismissed the allegations as "retribution." She pointed to a lawsuit filed against Donald Trump and his family, which secured a $454 million judgment. James claimed that the investigation into her is baseless and motivated by revenge.

    The probe began after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte sent a referral to the Justice Department alleging that James falsified records on a Virginia home purchase and misrepresented the number of units in her Brooklyn residence to obtain favorable loan terms. James admitted to a clerical error but denied any wrongdoing beyond that. She claimed that she had informed the mortgage broker that she was not a resident of Virginia, contradicting the power of attorney form used as evidence.

    The Attorney General's Office has retained high-powered lawyer Abbe David Lowell to represent her in this matter, with New York taxpayers likely to foot the bill for his services.