In a contentious case brought forth by US President Donald Trump, New York Attorney General Letitia James has entered a not-guilty plea to federal mortgage fraud charges.
After the Trump administration accused her of fabricating a property investment to obtain better loans, James appeared in court for the first time on Friday.
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A maximum sentence of 30 years in prison is served on two counts of bank fraud and false statements to financial institutions.
A federal court in Norfolk, Virginia held her hearing on Friday. James responded, “Not guilty, judge, to both counts,” when asked for her plea.
On January 26, her trial is scheduled to start.
After leaving the courtroom, James addressed the audience and criticized President Trump’s use of the legal system against his political rivals.
After former FBI director James Comey and former national security adviser John Bolton, who both face criminal charges in the past month, is Trump’s critic.
“This is not my concern,” The audience outside the courtroom was greeted by James as it was about all of us and a justice system that had been harmed, a justice system that had been used as a tool of retribution.
She reaffirmed her belief that justice will prevail by paraphrasing the Bible.
“Today, there is no fear.” She chanted, leading the audience in a chant, “No fear, no fear.” Because I think righteousness will flow down like water and justice will flow like a powerful stream.
A grand jury earlier this month indicted her.
President Trump has long been the attorney general’s target since his first term, stretching back decades.
She called Trump an “illegitimate president” when she ran for her position as New York’s top prosecutor in 2018.
In her capacity as attorney general, she successfully brought a civil lawsuit against Trump, alleging that he defrauded investors and banks by significantly overstating his assets.
A judge initially ordered Trump to pay $ 35 million in damages as a result of the case in February 2024, but that amount has since been disregarded as excessive.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has characterized that incident as politically motivated along with the others he has been in.
Critics feared that Trump might use the authority in his post to exact retribution against his alleged adversaries when he won a second term in January.
He made a public request on September 20 for the Department of Justice to prosecute James, Comey, and California Senator Adam Schiff, who has not yet been charged.
In a message to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump wrote, “We can’t delay any longer, because it’s destroying our reputation and credibility.” “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED NOW!” “!
On September 25, Comey was charged five days later.
A veteran prosecutor named Erik Siebert was fired shortly before the indictments after he allegedly questioned the merits of the Comey and James cases.
Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide in the Trump administration without any prior experience as a federal prosecutor, took his place.
Halligan’s appointment will be challenged by James’ attorneys, according to their statements. For a high-ranking US attorney, Halligan signed the indictments against both James and Comey, which is a fairly unusual occurrence.
The allegations in Friday’s case center on James’ purchase of a Virginia home. James claimed she would use the house as a secondary residence, but the Trump Department of Justice argued that she did so on a rented out instead.
According to the prosecution, that made it possible for her to get a mortgage rate that was better.
Source: Aljazeera
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