Letitia James Turns to National Democratic Group to Cover Mounting Legal Bills

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who built her political reputation on aggressively pursuing former President Donald Trump, is now facing legal and political troubles of her own. James has turned to the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) for financial support to pay her legal bills, an unusual move that highlights just how vulnerable she has become under federal investigation.

The reliance on outside party resources comes as Trump-appointed prosecutors expand inquiries into political opponents, including James. She is under scrutiny for allegedly making false statements on loan documents tied to her Brooklyn brownstone and another property in Virginia. Those allegations were referred to the Department of Justice earlier this year, and Bondi, Trump’s attorney general, appointed lawyer Ed Martin as special prosecutor in the case.

James has denied wrongdoing, but her decision to seek outside help through DAGA underscores the seriousness of the threat she faces. DAGA President Sean Rankin claimed Trump has threatened elected officials who seek to hold him accountable, while warning that James will likely see escalating attacks. But critics note that James is choosing a path that allows her to tap unlimited donations from wealthy donors, corporations, special interests and unions, bypassing New York’s campaign finance limits and disclosure rules. Contributions will flow through a 527 organization, which requires only an annual filing.

Her office insists that she will not use a $10 million state appropriation set aside for officials targeted by retaliatory investigations, but watchdog groups say she is sidestepping accountability. John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, argued that James should rely on the taxpayer-funded program specifically created for this purpose instead of leaning on a national political account that can accept unlimited money. The argument being, as Kaehny noted, that it creates less of a conflict of interest.

Republicans in the state legislature have been even more direct. During debate over the $10 million fund, State Senator Andrew Lanza said most New Yorkers would be outraged if their tax dollars were used to defend officials against crimes that they committed that have nothing to do with their elected position. Even though James declined to use the fund this time, she can int he future.

This is not the first time James has tapped into outside funding to handle legal threats. In August, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office approved her request to spend up to $1 million in taxpayer funds for an outside law firm in connection with a separate federal probe led by acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone in Albany. That investigation is tied to her civil fraud case against Trump and her lawsuit against the NRA. Records show her chosen firm, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, charges as much as $1,650 per hour.

Trump and his allies have pointed to James as an example of partisan lawfare, and now James’s own actions appear to be lending weight to those claims. By turning to a national political group for unlimited contributions, critics say James is eroding public trust and inviting even greater skepticism about her judgment and ethics.

Her reelection campaign has separately raised money by portraying her as Trump’s chief adversary, urging donors to help her go “toe to toe” with him.

Letitia James Turns to National Democratic Group to Cover Mounting Legal Bills