Hochul Says Political Retaliation Driving Cases Against Comey, Letitia James

Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday forcefully denounced the federal indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and the ongoing investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James calling both actions politically motivated and orchestrated by former President Donald Trump. Hochul described the situation as “a new low for our nation,” warning that the United States cannot allow its justice system to be manipulated for retribution.

Speaking to reporters after an appearance in Albany, Hochul said, “I got to think, we cannot tolerate using a system that's set up for justice as a weapon to get even, a weapon of revenge against your political enemies. A new low for our nation.”

Her comments came one day after the Department of Justice announced that Comey had been indicted on charges of making false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The announcement followed a September 20th post on Trump’s Truth Social platform in which he demanded to know the status of cases against Comey, James, and Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat.

Comey, who was appointed FBI director by President Barack Obama in 2013, was dismissed by Trump in 2017 while overseeing the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In his September 20th message, Trump wrote, “We can't delay any longer. It's killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice and indicted me (5 Times!) OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

His demand came shortly before federal prosecutors announced charges against Comey.

Letitia James has also found herself under federal scrutiny with investigators examining allegations of mortgage fraud. James previously brought a high-profile civil fraud lawsuit against Trump and his company, which resulted in a massive financial penalty before that ruling was overturned.

U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert of the Eastern District of Virginia resigned after concluding there was not enough evidence to pursue charges against James. Trump, however, claimed in his September 20th post that he had fired Siebert and declared there was a “GREAT CASE” against the attorney general. He chose Lindsey Halligan, a White House staffer, to serve as Siebert’s replacement. Halligan is now acting as interim U.S. attorney and is leading the prosecution in Comey’s case.

Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the decision to indict Comey, stating, “No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”

FBI Director Kash Patel also framed the indictment as a corrective measure, remarking, “For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust.”

Hochul, however, portrayed the unfolding events as the latest example of Trump bending institutions to serve his personal grievances. She argued that James, as New York’s top law enforcement official, had a duty to pursue evidence of wrongdoing regardless of who the target might be, and that penalizing her for doing so was a profound misuse of government power.

“Is Tish James, as the attorney general, the highest law enforcement officer [in] our state, supposed to turn her eye away from evidence and pretend it didn't happen because of who the perpetrator is? That would be an abomination,” Hochul said. “And so to have the system now used against an individual simply doing her job is a new low for this country, whether it's James Comey or Tish James or anyone.”

Hochul Says Political Retaliation Driving Cases Against Comey, Letitia James