Overview

• New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on one count of bank fraud tied to a 2023 mortgage, according to multiple outlets citing sources.
• Lindsey Halligan, installed last month as U.S. attorney in the district, personally presented evidence to the grand jury in a departure from DOJ norms after her predecessor resigned under pressure.
• Career prosecutors in the office had questioned the evidence in referrals involving James and previously balked at charges, and reporting indicates some refused to participate in these politically sensitive cases.
• The indictment follows James Comey’s Oct. 8 plea of not guilty to charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding; his defense plans to challenge Halligan’s appointment, and trial is set for Jan. 5.
• The probes trace to referrals from FHFA Director Bill Pulte, with investigations into other Trump critics still pending; James denies wrongdoing and has said any mortgage form error was corrected and did not mislead the lender.