By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James over real estate documents tied to a Virginia home purchase, marking the first known criminal probe into a law enforcement official who has taken legal action against former President Donald Trump, The Washington Post reports.
A federal grand jury in Virginia is reviewing whether James falsely claimed she intended to make a Norfolk property her primary residence on a 2023 mortgage document. The deal, executed by her niece using power of attorney, may have allowed James to access more favorable loan terms. Trump-appointed housing official William J. Pulte referred the matter to the Justice Department last month, alleging James falsified documents and property records.
James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the allegations a politically motivated smear, saying any error was a clerical mistake and that other documents in the loan file clearly stated the home was for her niece.
“This appears to be the political retribution President Trump threatened to exact,” Lowell said.
The investigation has drawn comparisons to the prosecution of former Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby, who was convicted last year for misrepresenting her residence on mortgage paperwork.
James, a longtime Trump critic, secured a $450 million fraud judgment against him last year and has repeatedly sued his administration. At a recent public appearance, she said the probe was retaliation.
“We have successfully blocked some of the administration’s most harmful initiatives, which is why they’re coming after me.”
