New York Attorney General Letitia James has spent years battling former President Donald Trump in court, and she shows no signs of slowing down. After a contentious election cycle and a series of high-profile legal cases, James is doubling down on her commitment to hold Trump accountable for what she calls his “abuses.” The ongoing legal confrontations have drawn fierce criticism from Trump, who accuses James of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome.” Despite the backlash, James remains resolute, vowing to continue her pursuit of justice in the face of Trump’s allegations of political bias. As her legal actions intensify, the battle between the two remains a key focus in New York politics.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is not backing down in her quest to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for alleged financial wrongdoing. In the years since James took office, she has made it clear that one of her primary goals was to challenge Trump’s business practices and his role in what she calls “abuses” against the public. This commitment has sparked a fierce and ongoing legal battle that shows no signs of letting up.
“I will never be treated fairly by these people—this is a total double standard of justice,” Trump has said in multiple statements.
James, who campaigned on a platform to “take on Donald Trump,” quickly made good on that promise after taking office in 2019. Her first major move was to launch an investigation into the Trump Organization, alleging that Trump and his company had inflated the value of assets to secure loans, lower insurance premiums, and gain tax benefits. This led to a series of lawsuits targeting the Trump Organization and its top executives, accusing them of misrepresenting financial information to defraud banks, insurers, and the government.
The investigation intensified after Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, testified before Congress, revealing that Trump had potentially inflated his net worth by billions of dollars. Cohen’s testimony provided James with the grounds to pursue legal action, claiming that Trump and his family used fraudulent practices to unjustly enrich themselves. “For too long, powerful, wealthy people in this country have operated as if the rules do not apply to them. Donald Trump stands out as among the most egregious examples of this misconduct,” James said in a press release at the time.
Trump, of course, has vehemently denied the charges and has called James’ investigation a “witch hunt” from the very beginning. His legal team has repeatedly accused her of targeting him for political reasons, especially after her public statements during her campaign, where she promised to take aggressive action against the president. Trump has dismissed her actions as politically motivated; referring to her as suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome,” a term he uses to describe what he sees as an obsessive and irrational fixation on him by his critics.
Despite Trump’s fiery rhetoric, James has remained steadfast in her pursuit of justice, insisting that her actions are not politically driven but rather in the interest of protecting New York residents and ensuring that powerful individuals are held accountable. Over the years, her office has filed multiple lawsuits against Trump, alleging financial fraud, and her aggressive stance against him has made her a polarizing figure in New York politics.
Trump’s legal troubles continued to escalate as James’ office uncovered further evidence of possible financial misconduct. In 2022, James filed a civil fraud lawsuit against Trump, his children, and key executives of the Trump Organization, seeking to hold them accountable for allegedly inflating the company’s net worth by billions of dollars. The lawsuit also sought to block Trump from doing business in New York state, a move that could have major financial implications for the Trump Organization.
Trump, in turn, has vowed to fight James’ lawsuits all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary, stating that he will not back down and will challenge the legal actions at every turn. His team has consistently accused James of using her office as a political weapon and undermining the principle of equal justice under the lawIn recent months, James’ office has pushed for a $454 million judgment against Trump over the alleged fraudulent practices, although the case has been met with legal challenges. An appeals court has recently considered whether the judgment should be reduced or reversed, signaling that the legal saga is far from over. The court’s decision could have significant ramifications not only for Trump but also for the future of his business empire.
James’ determination to hold Trump accountable for what she sees as illegal activities reflects her broader commitment to ensuring that the powerful are not above the law. Her actions have gained her both support and criticism. While many New Yorkers see her as a champion of justice, others accuse her of using her office to target a political enemy. The ongoing battle between the New York AG and the former president has become one of the most high-profile legal dramas in recent years, with both sides locked in a battle that shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
Despite the criticism from Trump and his allies, James has made it clear that she will continue to pursue legal action against him as long as she believes there is a need to do so. Her tenure as New York’s attorney general has been marked by her staunch opposition to Trump, and she has made it clear that she will not back down, no matter how intense the political pressure gets.
