April 17 (UPI) — The Trump administration is seeking to have the Justice Department prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud, according to reports, making her the latest political adversary to be targeted by President Donald Trump.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency this week sent a criminal referral letter concerning James to the Department of Justice, The New York Times and CBS News New York reported, with both outlets having seen the document.
According to the reports, the letter — dated Monday — was sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi, and stated that James “appeared to have falsified records” related to properties she owns, The Times reported. CBS News reported the letter also accused James of having “in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms.”
On the same day the letter was sent, Trump called James “a totally corrupt politician” in a post on his Truth Social media platform and demanded that she resign immediately.
“Everyone is trying to MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN, and it can never be done with this wacky crook in office,” he said.
A spokesperson from James’ office responded to the criminal referral in a statement saying the New York attorney general “will not be intimidated by bullies — no matter who they are,” Axios reported.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has used the presidency to attack perceived political foes, including several large firms associated with lawyers who have prosecuted or ared linked to Democrats, such as Hillary Clinton, who ran against the president in 2016.
Trump had already stripped James of her security clearances last month.
James has been a target of Trump’s ire for years, as she prosecuted a civil fraud case against him.
In February, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron found that Trump had engaged in years of financial fraud and illegal conduct by manipulating his net worth and the value of his properties to secure more favorable loan conditions.
Engoron ordered Trump to pay more than $450 million in penalties and banned him from serving as the head of any New York company for three years. His adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, were banned from serving in a financial management role in any New York company for two years.
The president has appealed the ruling, and the case is proceeding.