DOJ opens grand jury inquiry into Letitia James in New York

The Department of Justice convened a grand jury to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James, marking an escalation in President Donald Trump’s fight with New York’s top prosecutor.

The investigation is being run out of Albany, New York, and focused on possible deprivation of rights allegations, two well-placed sources familiar with the probe told Fox News Digital.

The investigation is in an early stage, but Fox News Digital has learned that James’s office received subpoenas for documents this week, including for information related to her civil fraud lawsuit against Trump.

James, a Democrat who was elected attorney general in 2018, has long been a target of Trump. James successfully brought civil charges against him for business fraud in 2022 and has had an instrumental role in challenging his current administration’s executive actions in court.

James’s office did not respond to requests for comment about the investigation.

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James began investigating the Trump Organization soon after she took office, eventually securing a $454 million judgment against the then-former president and some of Trump’s company’s executives, including two of his sons.

A New York judge found Trump and his business partners grossly overstated Trump’s wealth to obtain favorable loans and other financial benefits. James said at the time that financial fraud was not a “victimless crime.”

“If average New Yorkers went into a bank and submitted false documents, the government would throw the book at them, and the same should be true for former presidents,” James said.

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James also has been a leading figure in bringing litigation challenging the second Trump administration’s executive actions. James and other Democratic attorneys general have sued to fight spending freezes on federally funded social programs, mass firings of federal employees and restrictions on transgender care for minors, among other matters.

News of a grand jury investigation comes as tensions have continued to build between Trump and James.

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In April, the Trump Federal Housing Finance Agency asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate James over mortgage fraud, and the DOJ opened a separate investigation into that matter.  James received grand jury subpoenas in the inquiry, the Washington Post reported.  

James denied the mortgage fraud allegations. 

At the same time, Trump called her a “wacky crook” on Truth Social.

“Letitia James, a totally corrupt politician, should resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote.

Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this story.