Federal prosecutors in Albany have issued subpoenas to New York Attorney General Letitia James, seeking information on her office’s civil fraud case against Donald Trump and its corruption case against the National Rifle Association, according to multiple sources. The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.
A spokesperson for James condemned the subpoenas as a “weaponization of the justice system,” echoing language Trump has used to attack her. “Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American,” the spokesperson said, adding that her office stands by its “successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association” and will “continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights.”
The Trump civil fraud case, currently on appeal with the New York State Appellate Division’s First Department, resulted in a ruling that Trump, his eldest sons, and his company engaged in a decade of fraud to inflate his net worth. The judgment imposed a penalty exceeding $500 million.
James also sued the NRA in 2020, accusing former CEO Wayne LaPierre and others of misusing donor funds for personal luxury expenses. A jury found LaPierre liable for more than $4 million.
Sources said the subpoenas, issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, are part of an investigation into whether James or her office violated the civil rights of Trump or NRA executives.
Abbe Lowell, James’ attorney, called the probe “a dangerous escalation” and “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign.” Lowell added, “If prosecutors carry out this improper tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are ready and waiting with the facts and the law.”
