Hochul and Mamdani Defend Letitia James at Rally Ahead of Friday Fraud Arraignment

New York Attorney General Letitia James is set to stand before a federal judge on Friday, facing fraud charges that could land her in federal prison. On the eve of her arraignment, James attempted to portray herself as a victim, calling the mortgage fraud allegations against her “baseless.”

Her attorneys filed paperwork Thursday seeking to have the case thrown out, arguing that the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed. Halligan was tapped by former President Donald Trump last month.

James is expected to plead not guilty to charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in the Norfolk federal courthouse. Prosecutors allege she falsely claimed a Virginia property would serve as her secondary residence while treating it as a rental investment, a maneuver that may have saved her nearly $19,000 over the life of the mortgage.

Comey, also indicted in the same district, faces charges of obstructing Congress and making false statements. He, too, is attempting to discredit the appointment of prosecutors.

Despite the severity of the charges, James was embraced at a rally in Foley Square Thursday night where a small group of allies sought to cast her as the target of political persecution. Governor Kathy Hochul, Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Congressman Dan Goldman all took turns defending her.

“If they can do this to the attorney general of a state like New York, heaven help the rest of us, cause they can come after anyone,” Hochul declared, framing the indictment as an attack on all New Yorkers.

Williams went further, insisting that Trump orchestrated the case out of vengeance.

“He made it very very clear he’s going to go after his enemies. He made it very very clear he’s going to find somebody who does that, irrespective of whether it is the right thing to do.”

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Hochul and Mamdani Defend Letitia James at Rally Ahead of Friday Fraud Arraignment