During an interview on the Fox Business Network, Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) called to disbar New York Attorney General Letitia James for “weaponizing the justice system” and “trying to take Trump out.” James, who went after the Trump Organization in 2022, said during a press conference after this month’s election that she would use the law to “fight back” against Trump.
James added that her “office has been preparing for several months because we’ve been here before.
Tenney said when the Deep State went after President-elect Donald Trump over false allegations of Russian collusion, he could have turned around and gone after those accusing him, like “Hillary Clinton, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page … Comey.” Instead, “He did not do that. And who is the one that didn’t make an enemies list, and didn’t prosecute people who committed actual crimes, instead of using all these people, these state operators, like in Georgia and New York state?”
Tenney singled James out. “The shameless, shameful, shameless Letitia James and all these people trying to take Trump out. … Actually Letitia James needs to be disbarred and removed from office for the kind of behavior we’re seeing out of her. And I’m a member of the New York Bar,” she said.
New York AG Letitia James must be immediately disbarred and removed from office for her blatant weaponization of the justice system. pic.twitter.com/SPrdbwfIVP
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) November 14, 2024
Similarly, Mike Davis, who leads the Article III Project, the conservative judicial advocacy group, threatened to imprison James. During an appearance on the Benny Johnson podcast earlier this month, he said, “I dare you to try to continue your lawfare against President Trump in his second term. Listen here, sweetheart, we’re not messing around this time and we will put your fat a** in prison for conspiracy against rights. I promise you that.”
James filed a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization in 2022, working with the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in his criminal investigation of the Trump entity. She alleged that Trump had inflated his net worth to get a better loan.
As a result of her efforts, Judge Arthur Engoron issued an opinion barring Trump from operating any business in New York for three years and fined him over $355 million. Trump has appealed.
Trump’s attorney, Christopher Kise, said in a written statement that there was “zero evidence of any default, breach, late payment or any complaint of harm” and said the opinion disregarded the testimony of those who said there was no fraud, like nationally recognized experts from the NYU Stern School of Business.
When James ran for attorney general in 2018, she referred to Trump as an “illegitimate president,” promising to take him out. “I’m running for attorney general, because I will never be afraid to challenge this illegitimate president when our fundamental rights are at stake,” she said at the time during an op-ed video for NowThis. “He should be charged with obstructing justice. I believe that the president of these United States can be indicted for criminal offenses and we would join with law enforcement and other attorneys general across this nation in removing this president from office. … It’s important that everyone understand that the days of Donald Trump are coming to an end.”
Rules 3.6 and 3.8 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys state that prosecutors are prohibited from making “extrajudicial statements” that “can create the additional problem of increasing public condemnation of the accused.”
James has a history of politically targeted lawfare. In 2020, she filed a lawsuit against the NRA, accusing the organization of corruption and financial misconduct and calling for its dissolution. She convinced a jury to find that CEO Wayne LaPierre and former CFO Wilson Phillips misused funds.
Unlike James, other prosecutors and judges who targeted Trump have started backing off after Trump won the election. Bragg asked New York Judge Juan Merchan to postpone Trump’s sentencing to allow Trump’s attorneys to file motions requesting dismissal of the case. Merchan agreed, postponing the Nov. 26 date.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced earlier this month that she was dropping her investigation into Trump over a statement he made blasting former Rep. Liz Cheney. Trump said he wondered how Cheney would feel if guns were “trained on her face,” which Mayes said was constitutionally protected free speech.
James has never shied away from outspoken statements. She once spoke “proudly” about having an abortion. At a rally in 2022, James discussed how she obtained one after becoming elected to the New York City Council. “I was just elected and I was faced with the decision of whether to have an abortion or not, and I chose to have an abortion,” she said. “I walked proudly into Planned Parenthood, and I make no apologies to anyone.”
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on X / Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Letitia James” by New York Attorney General.
