DOJ Opens Grand Jury Probe into New York Attorney General Letitia James

The Department of Justice has convened a grand jury investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, a source familiar with the matter tells National Review.

James was issued two subpoenas earlier this week, one in relation to her office's civil-fraud case against President Donald Trump, and one related to her office's ongoing investigation against the National Rifle Association. The grand jury was convened in Albany and will investigate the alleged deprivation of Trump's rights.

James led the business-fraud investigation against the Trump Organization, which eventually ended with a $454 million judgement against Trump and several of his company executives.

A spokesperson for James called the DOJ's investigation a "weaponization" of power.

"Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American," the spokesperson said. "We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights."

The Department of Justice declined to comment.

The probe, first reported by Fox News, is unrelated to the FBI's ongoing criminal investigation into James for mortgage fraud related to residences she bought in Virginia and Brooklyn. The U.S. Attorney's office in Albany launched the investigation in May.

Trump and James have exchanged blows since her campaign in 2018, with Trump at the time accusing the attorney general candidate of political persecution, and condemning her campaign's "GET TRUMP agenda." On the campaign trail, James vowed to prosecute Trump and his business dealings, and shine "a bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings, and every dealing, demanding truthfulness at every turn."

"I look forward to seeing him in court when I assume my new position," she said.

James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump in 2022, which accused the president, three of his adult children, and other Trump Organization executives of inflating the value of their assets "by billions." A New York judge determined that Trump had misrepresented his wealth by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Trump has appealed the ruling. The "biased and corrupt" James embarked on a clear "witch hunt" against him, the president has said.

"Letitia James’ failed political crusade against President Trump is one of the most outrageous examples of the discredited radical lawfare campaign against the president," a Trump legal spokesman said in July. "Her ‘case’ should have never seen the light of day, it is entirely phony, it is barred by the statute of limitations and it relies on her intentionally dishonest valuation of one of the most desirable properties in the world, Mar-a-Lago… at a ridiculous $18 million, while it is worth 10 times that."