James promises to keep 'fighting for justice'
By: Ben Adler
USA Today
NEW YORK - Some public figures go into hiding after being charged with a crime, but not New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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The Empire State's top prosecutor delivered passionate remarks to an October 13 [2025] for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, four days after a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia, indicated her on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
..... And judging form the reception she received from the 3,200-person crowd at an ornate Manhattan theater, James has little reason to lie low.
..... James was greeted by a minute-long standing ovation, and the room erupted into thunderous applause repeatedly as she inveighed against what many view as President Donald Trump's politicization of the Department of Justice.
..... "We see powerful voices trying to silence truth, punish dissent - and, yes, weaponize justice for political gain," James said, in a clear reference to Trump's campaign of retribution against high-profile opponents.
..... "We are witnessing the fraying of our democracy, the erosion of our system of government," James said, to intermittent whoops and cheers from the crowd. "This my friends, is a defining moment in our history. Let us stand together to defend our rights, to protect every safeguard, every institution, every immigrant, every norm, and every rule of law.
..... Trump has long railed against James, who sued the real estate tycoon for allegedly defrauding lenders. A New York judge agreed with James and ordered Trump to pay a penalty of about $454 million. A New York appeals court threw out that financial penalty in August, [2025] but James' office has appealed that decision.
..... The president has called James epithets such as "Corrupt" "SCUM" and "a Complete and Total disaster."
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In September, [2025] Trump forced out a longtime prosecutor, Erik Siebert, whom he had appointed U.S. Attorney for Virginia's Eastern district, after Siebet reportedly concluded there wasn't enough evidence to bing charges against James. Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to install one of his won former personal attorneys, Lindsey Halligan, then a White House aide, into the role. Halligan swiftly borough charges against James and other targets of Trump's ire, such as former FBI Director James Comey.
..... Both James and Comey say they are innocent and that Trump has corrupted the Justice Department's integrity in his effort to punish critics.
..... New York Democrats overwhelmingly agree and are standing behind James.
..... "You come for me, you gotta come for all of us!" James said, apparently aware of that support.
..... "I will keep fighting for justice," James vowed. "I will keep fighting for New Yorkers. I will keep fighting the aggressive policies of Washington, DC, and I will not stop. I won't give up and I won't give in."
..... James then pivoted to making her case for Mamdani, the New York state Assembly member who won an upset victory in the June Democratic primary and is now front-rummer in the upcoming enlarge election.
..... "For years, you have fought the good fight for New Yorkers, and now it is our turn to fight for you," Mamdani said to James upon taking the stage.
..... Attendees said they viewed James' fight and Mamdani's campaign as one and the same.
..... "It speaks to how Tish and Zohran are working together to fortify the city and state, to not only protect people who live here but those who are as being targeted by Donald Trump, including the attorney general," New York city council Member Chi Osse, a Brooklyn democrat who also spoke at the rally, told USA Today.