New York Attorney General Letitia James took the podium on Wednesday, delivering a fiery response to Donald Trump’s return to the White House and signaling that her office’s legal pursuit of him won’t relent.
Despite the surprising election results, James promised to stand firm, vowing to continue her cases against Trump and prepare for any retaliation that might come her way. Emphasizing her resolve, James declared, “We are prepared to fight back once again, because as the attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law.”
James didn’t mince words about her office’s ongoing work against the newly elected president, highlighting a series of legal actions from Trump’s previous term. Between 2019 and 2021, James’s office launched close to 100 cases against Trump’s administration, challenging his efforts to cap state and local taxes, cut federal grants to New York, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and alter the census.
With these battles in mind, James assured the public that her office has contingency plans ready to counter any possible retaliatory moves from the incoming administration, stating, “We’re ready to respond to any attempts to cut or eliminate funding to the great state of New York.”
At the core of her legal efforts is a massive $454 million civil fraud judgment against Trump, which James won after alleging that Trump had grossly inflated his net worth to secure better financial terms on loans and insurance policies.
She cited Trump’s Westchester golf club and Seven Springs estate as assets potentially subject to seizure if necessary. However, Trump’s appeal of the judgment is still pending, and recent court proceedings have raised questions about the penalties’ steep amount.
Judges have pressed New York prosecutors to justify the half-billion-dollar fine, noting that no party suffered direct financial losses.
For James, the stakes are clear: her mission, as she frames it, is to hold Trump accountable in the face of unprecedented challenges. She described her team as the “guardians of the law” who stand ready to defend the state’s interests regardless of political pressures.
Her message to New Yorkers was one of resilience, urging the public not to fear but to “be faithful and steadfast.” In her words, “This is not the time to be fearful, New York, but faithful and steadfast.”
