DOJ issues subpoenas to NY AG Letitia James, including over Trump civil fraud case: Sources
Federal prosecutors in Albany have issued subpoenas to New York Attorney General Letitia James inquiring about her office's civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and corruption case against the National Rifle Association, multiple sources told ABC News.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
A spokesperson for James called the subpoenas a "weaponization of the justice system," invoking a criticism Trump used to describe her case against him that resulted in a half-billion-dollar penalty.
"Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American. 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 spokesperson said in a statement.
The civil fraud case is on appeal with the New York State Appellate Division's First Department. Trump, his eldest sons and his business were found liable for 10 years of fraud that inflated the president’s net worth.
James sued the NRA in 2020, accusing the gun rights group's former CEO, Wayne LaPierre, and others of misappropriating donor funds to finance luxury items for themselves. The jury determined LaPierre owed more than $4 million.
The subpoenas, from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York, are part of an investigation into whether James and her office violated the civil rights of Trump or the NRA executives, the sources said.
An attorney for James, Abbe Lowell, called the probe "a dangerous escalation" and "the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign."
"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," Lowell said in a statement.
Trump and his eldest sons owe more than $500 million including interest in their civil fraud case after a judge ruled in 2023 that they repeatedly inflated Trump's net worth to secure better loan terms over a decade of business dealings. Judge Arthur Engoron said the frauds "shock the conscience" while handing down the fines last year.
A ruling on Trump's appeal of the judgment could come at any time.
