JUST IN: Letitia James Dragged Into Court As Federal Case Heats Up

New York Attorney General Letitia James is slated to march into federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday morning to be arraigned on a two-count indictment over what prosecutors say were misleading statements about a second home she bought in 2020.

The case drops amid a wave of prosecutions hitting President Trump’s perceived political foes — a charge sheet that’s stirred open revolt inside the Justice Department.

James is facing two federal counts: bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. Prosecutors say the indictment stems from her Norfolk purchase, alleging that she misrepresented the property’s nature to secure sweeter loan terms.

She insists she did nothing wrong and plans to plead not guilty.

“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement after she was indicted. “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she added.

The James case — like the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey — was put before a grand jury by Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide whom President Donald Trump tapped last month as acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Trump had announced in September he’d install Halligan as the district’s top prosecutor, replacing interim attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned after pressure to bring cases against both Comey and James.

The fallout has been fierce. James’ indictment, echoing Comey’s, has triggered fresh accusations of “weaponization” and rattled DOJ ranks during Trump’s second term. Multiple career officials in EDVA — including in the Norfolk office — have been pushed out or walked, with two assistant U.S. attorneys reportedly fired after objecting to pursuing James.

Halligan is expected to appear in court on Friday alongside Roger Keller, a Missouri-based federal prosecutor, according to filings. On the other side of the aisle, James’ attorney Abbe Lowell told the court he’s brought on Andrew Bosse — a former EDVA prosecutor who once ran the office’s criminal division — to bolster the defense.

The criminal case lands barely a year after James scored a civil fraud win against Trump — a backdrop guaranteed to inflame the political stakes on both sides.

After Friday’s arraignment, James is likely to move to toss the case on grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution, mirroring a play already made this week by Comey’s legal team in Alexandria. Lowell has labeled the prosecution “improper political retribution,” and vowed the defense would “fight these charges in every process allowed in the law.”

The Justice Department didn’t immediately comment on the case, or on whether additional EDVA prosecutors will join Halligan and Keller in court.