Trump escalates political legal crusade with charges filed against New York prosecutor

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been indicted by the US Department of Justice on charges of bank fraud and making false statements, as President Donald Trump continues to push for legal retribution against his political enemies.

James famously was the attorney general during the state's prosecution and eventual conviction of the then-former President Trump, on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.

The charges against James come just weeks after former FBI Director James Comey, another of Trump's perceived political enemies, was indicted on charges of lying to Congress in 2020.

James was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia on one count after a mortgage fraud investigation, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter.

The charges come after the resignation of the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, over Trump's pressure on him to bring charges against Comey, James, and Sen. Adam Schiff. Siebert reportedly resigned after he felt there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Comey or James.

Following Siebert's resignation, Trump installed one of his former personal attorneys, Lindsey Halligan, who has never served as a prosecutor at any level, the Mirror reports.

In a social media blunder, Trump mistakenly posted a message intended for Attorney General Pam Bondi, instructing her to target his perceived political adversaries for criminal prosecution.

"Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, 'same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, Leticia? ? ? They're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done," the president stated in his post.

Just five days after Trump's post, Comey was indicted in the same Eastern District of Virginia for allegedly lying to Congress, charges to which he has since pleaded not guilty.

The case against James remained sealed on Thursday, making it impossible to evaluate what evidence prosecutors possess. However, similar to the Comey charges, the prosecution followed an unusually unconventional case.

James, a second-term Democrat, has refuted any wrongdoing. She admitted to making a mistake while completing a form related to the home purchase, but quickly corrected it and did not deceive the lender.

Halligan presented the case to the grand jury herself, just as she did in the case against Comey, according to a source familiar with the situation.

"No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public's trust," Halligan declared in a statement following the indictment. "The facts and the law in this case are clear and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served."

James' solicitor has accused the Justice Department of fabricating a sham criminal case to settle Trump's personal vendetta against James, who last year secured a staggering judgement against Trump and his companies in a lawsuit alleging he lied to banks and others about the value of his assets.

In a statement, James dismissed the charges against her as "baseless.

"The president's own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost," she stated.