The Justice Department has issued subpoenas to New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office as part of a widening criminal investigation linked to former President Donald Trump. The grand jury in Albany is probing alleged violations of constitutional rights connected to James’ investigations of the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association. While James’ lawyer calls the move political retaliation, the Justice Department remains silent. This development adds a new chapter to the ongoing legal battles between Trump and one of his fiercest critics, raising questions about justice, politics, and power in today’s volatile climate.

Story Highlights

• Federal Subpoenas: Issued to NY Attorney General’s office over probes into Trump Organization and NRA.

• Albany Grand Jury: Investigating alleged constitutional rights violations against Trump.

• James’ Response: Lawyer calls the probe political retaliation and vows to defend office’s actions.

• Wider Pattern: Other Trump critics, including Comey, Brennan, and Jack Smith, also under investigation.

• Mortgage Fraud Probe: FBI pursuing separate case; James denies wrongdoing.

• Civil Fraud Judgment: Trump ordered to pay $450M; appeal pending with $175M bond posted.

• NRA Case: James’ office secured reforms in the gun rights group’s leadership structure.

The Justice Department has moved into uncharted political and legal territory, issuing subpoenas to the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James in connection with a criminal investigation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Two separate grand jury subpoenas, sent from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, seek records tied to James’ ongoing and past investigations into two high-profile targets: the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association. Sources say a grand jury has been convened in Albany to explore whether James engaged in “deprivation of rights,” a legal term for violating constitutional rights — allegations tied directly to her office’s handling of matters involving former President Donald Trump.

The Justice Department itself has declined public comment on either the subpoenas or the grand jury’s scope.

Abbe Lowell, an attorney representing James, issued a pointed statement calling the federal move “the most blatant and desperate example” of using government power for political payback. “Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law,” Lowell said, warning that it marked a “dangerous escalation.” He added that if prosecutors were genuinely interested in the truth, James’ office was “ready and waiting with the facts and law.”

The subpoenas place James among a growing roster of Trump’s longtime political adversaries who have found themselves under federal investigation since leaving office or clashing with the former president. This list includes former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and several officials involved in election security or investigations into Russian interference in 2016 — among them former DHS official Miles Taylor, former CISA head Chris Krebs, and former special counsel Jack Smith, who indicted Trump twice in 2023.

In May, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed a separate investigation into James, this one in the Eastern District of Virginia, focused on allegations that she committed fraud on a mortgage application. Lowell characterized those accusations as “baseless and long-discredited.”

The Civil Fraud Case at the Center of the Storm

The most prominent clash between Trump and James began in September 2022, when the New York Attorney General’s office filed a sweeping civil fraud lawsuit against Trump, his adult sons, and the Trump Organization. The case alleged the former president’s business empire repeatedly inflated the value of properties and assets to secure favorable terms from banks and insurers.

Following a lengthy and contentious trial that stretched across late 2023 and into 2024, a judge found Trump liable for fraud and ordered him to pay more than $450 million in penalties. Trump’s legal team, led in part by attorney Alina Habba — who has since taken a role as acting U.S. Attorney in New Jersey — filed an appeal. While the appeal is pending, Trump posted a $175 million bond.

The courtroom exchanges were anything but restrained. Trump used both the witness stand and courthouse hallways to denounce James, describing her as “a political hack” and accusing her of orchestrating “a political witch hunt.” James, often present in the courtroom gallery behind her attorneys, countered through press statements and social media videos defending her office’s work.

Beyond Trump: NRA Litigation and Broader Reach

James’ office has also taken on other powerful entities, notably the National Rifle Association. Her legal action against the NRA led to court-ordered structural reforms within the organization. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office stressed that “any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American” and underscored that they “stand strongly” by their litigation outcomes.

With grand juries now examining her actions in multiple jurisdictions, James faces a multi-pronged legal battle even as she continues to hold one of the most visible law enforcement positions in the country. The unfolding investigations underscore both the high stakes and the deeply personal nature of the ongoing feud between the former president and one of his most persistent critics.

The subpoenas against Letitia James mark an escalation in a long-running and highly public legal confrontation between the New York attorney general and former President Donald Trump. While James defends her actions as the fulfillment of her duty to enforce state laws, the federal inquiries place her under the same kind of scrutiny she has brought to others. As the grand jury proceedings unfold and Trump’s appeal in the civil fraud case moves forward, the clash between these two figures remains a high-stakes battle—one that blends law, politics, and personal rivalry, with implications reaching far beyond New York’s courtrooms.

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