Spotlight: NYS Attorney General Letitia James

In the name of transparency, I must acknowledge that New York State Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James is my outspoken, aggressive, and unapologetic superhero.

In an era when opposing, questioning, or speaking out against the Trump Administration is rife with danger, even arrest--just ask Newark mayor, Ras Baraka, or Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan--James seems unfazed by a U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal investigation accusing her of mortgage fraud.

In a speech delivered at National Action Network’s 2025 Convention in early April, James vowed to challenge Trump every time he “issues an illegal executive order … because he represents … ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

Is it coincidence that shortly thereafter, DOJ launched an investigation alleging that James lied on loan and bank documents to obtain better mortgage rates?

The investigation was initiated by a criminal referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. Pulte, who claimed that James secured a better mortgage rate by fraudulently stating that a Norfolk, Virginia, home she was purchasing with her niece in 2023 would be her primary residence.

Pulte also alleges that James lied about the number of units in Brooklyn, New York, property she purchased in 2001 and shares with her family to get a better interest rate.

According to Democracy Docket, a day before Pulte sent the criminal referral, Trump had labelled James, “a totally corrupt politician” and a “wacky crook,” who should resign.

James, of course, has her critics, who point to the fact that she ran for office on a plank of getting Donald Trump and then proceeded to do just that.

James D. Zirin, a former federal prosecutor in New York’s Southern District, wrote in Washington Monthly, “I don’t like Letitia James ... She is too much of a political apparatchik for my taste … I do, however, admire (her) backbone. She was far more courageous than what we have seen from some of the largest law firms in the country in standing up to Trump’s threats and personal attacks ….”

However, Zirin decried the investigation “because (Trump’s) private reasons for hating her are vindictive, retaliatory, and hypocritical. We don’t do that in America.”

What rankles President Trump is that James obtained a $450 million judgement against him and the Trump Organization for purposely misrepresenting property values and other assets to get better loans and insurance rates.

In February 2025, President Trump revoked James's security clearance, along with several other officials. He stated, “If there are people that we don’t respect, if there are people that we thought that were breaking the law or came very close to it in previous years, we do it.”

“Letitiagate”

“Letitiagate” is what Republican lawmakers in Albany are calling a Democratic proposal to amend the state budget that would create a $10 million “slush fund” for elected officials to use for their legal defense when the case is related to the official's exercise of their duties.

Governor Kathy Hochul (believed to be working behind the scenes for the amendment) is accused of “orchestrating a taxpayer bailout for a political ally under fire.”

According to the South Shore Press, “James is not explicitly mentioned in the amendment, but there is little doubt this is aimed at helping her. James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, has made claims that the charges against James are political retribution against her by President Trump…”

Letitia Ann James: The woman behind the headlines

Born October 18, 1958, James was raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, one of eight children born to Nellie and Robert James. Her mother scrubbed floors for many years before working in customer service; her father did maintenance work. “I come from a family of eight on public assistance, my parents were separated. My mother struggled; my father struggled.”

Khole G. Owen writes in her biography of James, “she learned the values of hard work, resilience, and compassion from her parents … their modest means did not hinder Letitia’s aspirations, instead it fueled her determination to make a difference in the world.”

“I come from a long line of very strong, tough women. We stick to our principles and stand up for what we believe in, which is fundamental fairness, which is my raison d'etre.”

A lifelong resident of Brooklyn, James attended Fort Hamilton High School, earned her B.A. from the City University of New York's Lehman College in 1981, received her J.D. degree from Howard University, and was admitted to practice law in New York in1989.

She began her legal career as a public defender with Legal Aid Society, where established an organization that provided scholarships for inner city youth.

Subsequently, she held local and state positions, including Assistant Attorney General in the Brooklyn regional office, 35th district council member (2004-2013); New York Public Advocate (2014-2018).

Sworn in as NYS Attorney General (AG) in 2019, James is the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General.

Throughout her tenure as AG, James has gone after against predatory lenders, unscrupulous landlords, gun manufacturers and lobbyists, financial institutions engaged in deceitful practices, drug and gun traffickers, and companies that broke state laws.

“The scales of justice often, in my head, are unbalanced … my job is to try to balance out those scales.”

On May 16, U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy temporarily blocked the Trump administration from cutting more than $11 billion in public health funding. In April, James, along with other Democratic attorney generals, sued the Trump Administration,arguing that the cuts would decimate public health infrastructure nationwide.

Jubilant, James said, "We won a court order blocking the Trump administration from slashing … funding for pandemic preparedness, overdose prevention, and community health programs … "We're going to continue our lawsuit to protect the health and well-being of millions of Americans."

A Women Among Men

James is a Black woman in a high-profile position in a country that twice voted against a female presidency; she is not intimidated by (powerful) men or (powerful) organizations (e.g., National Rifle Association); and she is unrelentingly confident.

She faces allegations of weaponizing her office against political foes, not an uncommon accusation against those in power.

President Trump has called her “racist,” “biased and corrupt” and “failing.”

These barbs roll off Jame’s back like water off a duck’s.

At age 66, there is speculation that she might seek the governorship in 2026; if she wins, it will mean more power and more pressure.

Just the way she likes it.

Wista JohnsonMay 16, 2025