DOJ Subpoenas New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office Over Trump Lawsuit

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently issued two subpoenas against the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), one of President Donald Trump’s foremost adversaries, the New York Times reported.

One of the subpoenas relates to a DOJ investigation into her office’s civil fraud lawsuit against Trump for faulty business practices, which resulted in a $450 million penalty on the Trump Organization.

The subpoenas mark an escalation in Trump’s weaponization of the justice system to go after his political opponents. In addition to its civil fraud lawsuit against Trump, James’ office has challenged several of his policies over the years. 

The other subpoena relates to a probe into the New York Attorney General office’s long-running cases against the National Rifle Association (NRA). 

“Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American,” a spokesperson for the New York State Attorney General said in a statement. “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.”

Both investigations are focused on whether James’ office violated constitutional or legal rights through its civil suits against Trump and the NRA, according to NBC News.

The investigations are being carried out by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, which is currently headed in an acting capacity by John Sarcone III, a former Trump campaign attorney.

Earlier this year, Sarcone appeared to violate internal DOJ policies around commenting on ongoing investigations by publicly confirming the department probe into James over mortgage fraud allegations. 

This story has been updated with new details throughout.