AOC Pleads With Supporters to Fund Letitia James' Defense After Federal Indictment

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is urging her supporters to open their wallets for New York Attorney General Letitia James just hours after James was indicted on federal mortgage fraud charges in Virginia.

The congresswoman blasted out an email Thursday evening framing James as a victim of former President Donald Trump, asking backers to quickly contribute to what she called a “Letitia James Legal Fund.”

“Letitia isn’t backing down, and we need to support her in this critical moment. Her campaign set a goal to receive 20,000 contributions before midnight to fight back,” the email read. “If you can, will you rush a donation to Letitia James right now? Your donation will send a powerful message that you’re standing in solidarity with Letitia as Trump manipulates the Department of Justice.”

The appeal directed donors to an ActBlue page. It remains unclear, however, whether contributions made through the link would go directly to James’ re-election campaign or toward her mounting legal defense. While legal experts note New York law does not explicitly bar politicians from transferring campaign donations to defense funds, James’ office has confirmed she will rely on a legal fund organized by the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), which launched last month.

Ocasio-Cortez doubled down on social media, labeling the page “Letitia James Legal Fund” in an Instagram story.

“The charges are completely baseless,” she wrote. “This is a dangerous escalation of Trump going after those who hold him accountable.”

James, the state’s top prosecutor, was indicted Thursday on one count of bank fraud and lying to a financial institution. The case, driven by a special prosecutor appointed after Trump’s repeated calls for charges, comes just weeks before James is set to appear in court on October 24th. She has maintained her innocence, dismissing the indictment as politically motivated.

James has long been a central adversary of Trump, most notably through her civil fraud suit that accused him of inflating the value of his properties. While an initial half-billion-dollar judgment made headlines, the penalty was thrown out on appeal in August.

Despite the serious charges, AOC praised James effusively.

“We stand with her, New Yorkers love this woman, I love this woman,” the congresswoman said in a social media post.

AOC Pleads With Supporters to Fund Letitia James' Defense After Federal Indictment