Trump Target Sends Him a Fiery Message in First Appearance Since Indictment
New York Attorney General Letitia James said she would not “bow” or “capitulate” to attempts to weaponize justice for political gain.
New York Attorney General Letitia James vowed to keep fighting the Trump administration’s “aggressive policies” during her first public appearance since being indicted on federal charges.
“We see powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent and yes, weaponize justice for political gain,” James said during a boisterous rally for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
The administration has accused James—who successfully sued the Trump Organization for fraud and is leading multiple lawsuits challenging the president’s policies—of declaring a second home in Virginia as her primary residence to get more favorable loan terms.

President Trump's former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, brought charges against Letitia James after career prosecutors refused.
Al Drago/Getty Images
“I know what it feels like to be attacked for just doing your job,” she said on Monday. “But I also know what it feels like to overcome adversity. And so, I stand on solid rock. And I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend. I will not capitulate. I will not give in. I will not give up.”
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Erik Siebert, the veteran prosecutor overseeing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, was forced to resign last month after he refused to bring charges. Other top prosecutors put their jobs on the line to argue there was no probable cause.
Trump’s former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, has been named as Siebert’s interim successor. And she moved quickly to appease the president, who has railed against James on social media, calling her “SCUM” and demanding that she be removed from office.
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The 36-year-old former beauty pageant contestant—who had no previous prosecutorial experience—managed to secure a grand jury indictment against James for one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution.
When James took the stage at Mamdani’s rally four days later, audience members yelled, “Love you, Tish! We got you!” while the state attorney general raised her right fist.

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's supporters yelled, "We love you, Tish!" when Letitia James took the stage.
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
She told the crowd that she stood on the shoulders of her ancestors, who survived “despite being seared with scars.”
“Over the last few days, I’ve summoned their strength and their courage, and I will keep fighting for justice,” she said. “I will keep fighting for New Yorkers. I will keep fighting the aggressive policies of Washington, D.C.. And I will not stop. I won’t give up and I won’t give in.”
Sources told ABC News that Siebert and other career prosecutors originally declined to bring the case because investigators had determined that James only listed the Virginia home as a primary residence on a limited power of attorney form that allowed her niece—who was her co-purchaser—to sign documents on her behalf.
Last month, Trump’s Department of Justice also secured a grand jury indictment against another of the president’s perceived enemies, former FBI director James Comey.
The revenge campaign has been met with criticism from both sides of the aisle.
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