Letitia James’ own words come back to haunt her after federal bank fraud charges filed

An old social media post came back to haunt New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday after a federal grand jury in Virginia charged her with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. 

“When powerful people cheat to get better loans, it comes at the expense of hardworking people. Everyday Americans cannot lie to a bank to get a mortgage, and if they did, our government would throw the book at them. There simply cannot be different rules for different people,” James wrote in a February 2024 post on X when she was attacking President Donald Trump on social media. 

The indictment against James centers on her purchase of a home in Norfolk. Prosecutors allege she falsely claimed it as a second residence to secure better loan terms before leasing it to tenants. 

GRAND JURY INDICTS NY AG LETITIA JAMES ON BANK FRAUD CHARGES IN VIRGINIA FEDERAL COURT

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan said James faces up to 30 years in prison per count, up to a $1 million fine on each count and forfeiture if she’s convicted. Halligan said, “No one is above the law,” echoing what James wrote about Trump last year. 

James, a longtime Trump adversary, previously sued the president’s business empire for civil fraud and won a nearly $500 million judgment. In a statement, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said James has weaponized her office to go after Trump and his allies. 

“Her hypocrisy is profound as she campaigned on the mantra that ‘no one is above the law,’ yet she now faces allegations of committing the very type of financial misrepresentation she baselessly pursued against President Trump,” Stefanik said. 

TRUMP TO FORCE OUT VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR AMID PRESSURE TO INDICT LETITIA JAMES

Stefanik helped draw attention to James’ old post by recirculating it with emojis pointing at the 2024 message. 

Many others quickly unearthed last year’s social media post. 

NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ INDICTMENT SPARKS SHARP PARTISAN DIVIDE

James’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

As James was being mocked on social media, Democrats rallied to her defense.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Trump was using the Justice Department as his “personal attack dog.”

“This is what tyranny looks like,” Schumer said. “President Trump is targeting Attorney General Tish James for the ‘crime’ of prosecuting him for fraud — and winning. This isn’t justice. It’s revenge.”

James, a second-term Democrat, has denied wrongdoing. She previously said she made an error while filling out a form related to the home purchase but fixed it. She noted that she never tried to deceive the lender. 

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James’ initial appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Norfolk, Virginia, before Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.