Disbar NY AG Letitia James over Trump probe
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House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik on Monday called for New York Attorney General Letitia James to be disbarred or suspended over her “biased investigation” into former President Donald Trump and his business dealings.
The New York lawmaker blasted James for violating the Rules of Professional Conduct by “attacking President
Trump through extrajudicial statements” during a trial.
“In just the first five weeks of the trial that began in October 2023 — before I stopped counting — Ms. James made over 50 highly inappropriate and prejudicial comments on social media,” Stefanik wrote in a complaint filed to the New York Committee on Professional Standards.
“This complaint respectfully requests that the Attorney Grievance Committee conduct an investigation and issue an immediate interim suspension, disbar Ms. James as an attorney and counselor-at-law, or suspend Ms. James.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron is currently weighing whether to fine the 77-year-old ex-commander-in-chief a whopping $370 million in the fraud case, after having found Trump liable on one of the main claims he faces.
James has said Trump inflated his real estate empire’s net worth by billions to score better loans and insurance terms.
His final verdict on the Trump Organization’s business dealings is expected this week.
His final verdict on the Trump Organization’s business dealings is expected later this month.
The alleged extrajudicial remarks James made on X during the trial included accusations of illegal conduct, comments undermining the credibility of witnesses and personal attacks — thus violating rules on trial publicity, Stefanik argued.
“Indeed, Ms. James’ conduct supports a compelling inference that she is deliberately intending to influence the outcome of the matter by creating a powerful media narrative pre-judging the defendants’ liability,” the complaint states.
“Ms. James’ extrajudicial statements could influence the judge or appellate judges that hear the comments. These comments also may affect public perception of the judgment and appellate decisions reviewing that judgment, such as by making the public more receptive to an unlawful judgment against President Trump, his family, and his business.”
The attorney general’s “extreme partisan hostility” toward Trump stretches back to the president’s first year in office, the complaint notes, when James, who had not yet been elected to statewide office, led “die-in” protests because “we are all being killed by this administration.”
When running for office in 2018, she further pledged to investigate Trump’s real estate empire, accusing him of money laundering and labeling him a “con man” and “carnival barker.”
The statements led to rebukes from former federal prosecutors, including ex-Virginia US attorney Chuck Rosenberg and ex-Manhattan assistant US attorney Dan Goldman. Rosenberg also urged James to recuse herself.
Stefanik’s complaint also cites James’ partnership with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to bring charges of business fraud against Trump for making “hush money” payments through his legal fixer to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The payments were allegedly made to ensure she kept quiet about a decade-old affair before the 2016 election.
The complaint, which was first reported by NBC News, added that attorneys general are “held to a higher standard due to their unique role as officers of the court” and James’ conduct “not only constitutes a breach of her professional responsibilities but also risks irreparable harm to the public’s already eroding trust in our legal institutions.”
The Attorney General Grievance Committee has obtained interim suspensions in recent years, with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani losing his law license in 2021 over his election interference claims about the 2020 presidential election.
Trump shared Stefanik’s complaint on his Truth Social account.
Trump’s previous motions to have the case tossed as politically motivated were denied by Engoron and upheld by an appeals court.
The real estate tycoon has taken almost every opportunity in court and on his social media platform to repeatedly personally attack James, Engoron and the case.
And Trump’s criticism of Engoron’s law clerk earned him a gag order, which was upheld by the New York Court of Appeals.
The House GOP conference chairwoman also submitted earlier ethics complaints against Engoron and Washington, DC, US District Judge Beryl Howell, who is overseeing Trump’s 2020 election interference case.
James’ office declined to comment Tuesday.
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