The intrigue swirling about Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James has deepened. According to a member of the Trump administration, James not only falsified records in connection with multiple properties, but she even previously listed her father as her husband to secure a mortgage.
In the last few weeks, allegations surfaced that James, 66, and a relative purchased a home in Norfolk, Virginia, in August 2023. In documents tied to the purchase, James pledged to use the home as her “principal residence,” an apparent violation of a New York statute that requires all statewide officeholders to reside in New York, as Blaze News previously reported.
A strong motivation for promising to use the home as her primary residence would be to secure better loan terms, since primary residences are considered less risky for lenders than secondary residences.
President Donald Trump turned a national spotlight on the allegations by posting a report about them on social media Sunday night. In the attending message, he called James “a totally corrupt politician” and a “wacky crook” who should resign “IMMEDIATELY.”
Within hours, William Pulte, the director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche referring James for criminal investigation.
‘While this was a long time ago, it raises serious concerns about the validity of Ms. James [sic] representations on mortgage applications.’
In addition to the alleged misrepresentations on the documents related to the Norfolk home, James also falsified records related to a Brooklyn, New York, property, Pulte claimed. Though the property was listed as having five units in January 2001, after purchasing the property the following month, James allegedly listed the property as having only four units.
According to Pulte, the purpose of fudging the number of units would be to secure a conforming loan from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, entities of the federal government under the purview of the FHFA. To qualify for a conforming loan, a property may have no more than four units.
“Ms. James, for both properties listed above, appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms,” Pulte wrote.
Pulte further alleged that James has a history of submitting fraudulent real estate documents dating back all the way to the early 1980s. In 1983, James and her father apparently signed documents claiming to be husband and wife to secure a mortgage on a home, Pulte said.
In other documents dated May 4, 2000, “Ms. James was listed again as ‘husband and wife,'” Pulte added, though whether her father was also mentioned in those documents is unclear.
“While this was a long time ago, it raises serious concerns about the validity of Ms. James [sic] representations on mortgage applications,” Pulte claimed.
On account of James’ apparent pattern of lies and obfuscations to game the lending system, Pulte recommended the Department of Justice look into whether she committed wire, mail, and bank fraud and made false statements to a financial institution, among other crimes.
In a statement, a spokesperson for James dodged the specific allegations entirely and instead suggested that “bullies” in the Trump administration were attempting to “weaponize” the federal government against upstanding, law-abiding officials.
“Attorney General James is focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution. She will not be intimidated by bullies — no matter who they are,” the statement said.
‘[James] insisted that these technicalities matter and that the powerful should not be given a free pass.’
This turn of events is even more remarkable considering the accusations James has lobbed at Trump and the Trump Organization.
In October 2023, just two months after buying the Norfolk home and about the time she was supposed to make it her “principal residence,” James launched a civil suit against the Trump Organization, claiming it overvalued properties to negotiate better deals with banks and insurance companies.
A jury agreed and slapped the organization with a staggering $455 million judgment. The judgment is currently under appeal, and members of a New York appeals court already signaled support for overturning or at least reducing it.
Now that James is facing similar allegations, leftists and and their media allies are accusing the administration of exacting retribution against Democrat officials like James who engaged in a lawfare campaign against Trump. The Daily Beast claimed that Trump is seeking “revenge” with the criminal referral from Pulte.
But others, including legal scholar Jonathan Turley, noted that James set a high standard regarding Trump and his responsibility for any misstatements, no matter how minor, from the organization that bears his name. If held to the same standard, she will likely fall short, Turley indicated.
“She insisted that these technicalities matter and that the powerful should not be given a free pass,” Turley explained to Laura Ingraham on Fox News Tuesday night. “Well, that bill has come due.”
The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment from “The Ingraham Angle.”
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