3:00 New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference outside Manhattan federal court in New York on Feb. 14, 2025. Yuki Iwamura/AP, FILE
Federal prosecutors in Albany have delivered subpoenas to New York Attorney General Letitia James regarding her office’s civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and the corruption case involving the National Rifle Association, as reported by multiple sources to ABC News.
The Justice Department opted not to comment.
ss=”EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy”>A representative for James referred to the subpoenas as a “weaponization of the justice system,” echoing a critique used by Trump to characterize her case against him, which led to a penalty of half a billion dollars.
“The weaponization of the justice system should alarm every American. We firmly support our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will persist in defending the rights of New Yorkers,” the representative stated.
The civil fraud lawsuit is currently under appeal with the New York State Appellate Division’s First Department. Trump, along with his eldest sons and his business, was found liable for a decade of fraud that exaggerated the president’s net worth.
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference outside Manhattan federal court in New York on Feb. 14, 2025. Yuki Iwamura/AP, FILE
James filed a lawsuit against the NRA in 2020, alleging that the former CEO, Wayne LaPierre, and others misused donor funds to purchase luxury items for their personal use. The jury concluded that LaPierre owed over $4 million.
The subpoenas, issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, are part of an inquiry into whether James and her office infringed on the civil rights of Trump or NRA executives, according to the sources.
James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, described the investigation as “a dangerous escalation” and “the most overt and desperate instance of this administration executing the president’s political retaliation campaign.”
“If prosecutors pursue this inappropriate tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are prepared and waiting with the facts and the law,” Lowell stated.
In this Jan. 11, 2024, file photo, former President Donald Trump is present in the courtroom during his civil fraud trial at New York Supreme Court, in New York. Jefferson Siegel/Pool/Getty Images, FILE
Trump and his eldest sons are liable for over $500 million, including interest, in their civil fraud case after a judge determined in 2023 that they consistently inflated Trump’s net worth to obtain more favorable loan terms throughout a decade of business transactions. Judge Arthur Engoron remarked that the fraud “shocks the conscience” while imposing the fines last year.
A decision on Trump’s appeal of the ruling could be announced at any moment.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
