Update as of October 13
New York Attorney General Leticia James has been indicted for mortgage fraud. This comes weeks after a Virginia AG resigned for not bringing charges against her at the urging of Donald Trump.
“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement.
James is being charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution connected to a home she purchased in Norfolk, Virginia in 2020.
ESSENCE reported on the resignation of Attorney General for Virginia Erik Siebert after he refused to bring charges against James. The former AG’s investigation, which lasted several months proved to show no foul play.
“I’m a proud woman of faith and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space. And so today I am not fearful, I’m fearless. And as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
Amid pressure to prosecute New York Attorney General Leticia James, U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert resigned Friday. Siebert served as the U.S. Attorney General for the Eastern District of Virginia where AG James owned property and is being accused of committing mortgage fraud.
In an email sent to his staff on Friday, Siebert wrote “This evening, I submitted my resignation as Interim US Attorney for EDVA,” adding, “For the last eight months, I have had the pleasure of leading the finest and most exceptional of DOJ employees who care deeply about our nation and our EDVA community.”
Trump, however, told a different story.
In a post on Truth Social, the president had this to say:
“Today I withdrew the Nomination of Erik Siebert as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, when I was informed that he received the UNUSUALLY STRONG support of the two absolutely terrible, sleazebag Democrat Senators, from the Great State of Virginia. He didn’t quit, I fired him!”
Before Siebert’s resignation, earlier that day, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he wanted the Virginia AG “out” after his initial probe into James’ mortgage dealings in the state showed no evidence of foul play. That investigation took five months.
The president had put pressure on United States Attorney General Pam Bondi via Truth Social in a post that has since gone viral over the weekend, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Siebert was a Trump appointee, but he did, as the president said, have the support of two democratic senators—Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
Warner and Kaine have been outspoken about Trump in the press and have been avid supporters of placing regulations on the president’s power, limiting his ability to rule singularly.
“He was approved by two Democrat senators who, in my opinion, are among the worst,” Trump said in that Oval Office briefing.
When asked about AG James, Trump said, “It looks to me like she’s very guilty of something, but I really don’t know.”
On Saturday, Bondi temporarily placed Mary “Maggie” Cleary in Siebert’s position. Cleary, a conservative republican, had previously been under investigation for being allegedly present during the 2021 January 6 insurrection. Cleary still denies those claims.
Shortly after her appointment from Bondi, the president nominated White House aide Lindsey Halligan to replace Erik Siebert permanently. Her appointment was formally announced Monday.
Halligan has no prosecutorial experience, but she served as a Trump advisor when the president was being accused of withholding evidence at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
In announcing her new position, Trump wrote, “(Halligan) represented me (and WON!) in the disgraceful Democrat Documents Hoax.” The president added, “She is extremely intelligent, fearless and, working with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, has the strength and determination to be absolutely OUTSTANDING in this new and very important role.”
Like Trump, Halligan believes the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. needs to be adjusted.
“We should be able to take our kids, our students, through the Smithsonian and feel proud when we leave,” she told CNN, adding that the museum had an “overemphasis on slavery.”
Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA) head Bill Pulte previously accused Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) of committing mortgage fraud. Schiff led the initial inquiry into getting Trump impeached.
ESSENCE previously reported on Pulte’s accusations against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. The FHFA head pushed for a probe into Cook’s mortgage dealings—ultimately leading to a mortgage fraud investigation.
Trump immediately tried to relieve Cook of her duties, though a decision from Justice Jia Cobb stopped the president. Cook is the first and only Black woman serving on the Federal Reserve and is a Biden appointee.
Per Pulte’s complaint, in 2023–AG James purchased a home for which she stated it would be her primary residence. A form signed by her niece who was her limited power of attorney in the deal, was not considered by the loan officers who approved the mortgage at the time. Every other document says that James accurately states she would not use the property as her primary residence.
James denies any wrongdoing. Her attorney, Abbe Lowell calls the investigation into his client, “the next salvo in President Trump’s revenge tour against Attorney General James.”
In 2022, AG James sued Trump for fraud based on his net worth to get better tax breaks. Judge Arthur Engoron in a 92-page decision, ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties in a civil fraud case—which then turned into $527 million. The penalty portion was later thrown out—though James plans to appeal.