(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A Friday report by CNN may have inadvertently undermined claims of political influence behind the mortgage fraud indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
According to the outlet, Lindsey Halligan, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, did not “coordinate” with the DOJ before seeking a grand jury indictment against James.
CNN cited two anonymous “sources familiar with the matter,” reporting that Halligan’s decision purportedly caught Attorney General Pam Bondi “off guard.”
“Halligan, who has been running the Eastern District of Virginia for just over two weeks, did not coordinate with Bondi or other leaders at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, DC, or inform them about timing before presenting the case to a grand jury,” CNN added.
The CNN account suggests that Halligan acted independently, directly undermining widespread claims that President Donald Trump or Bondi pressured prosecutors to target James.
Halligan announced the two-count indictment Thursday, accusing James of committing bank fraud and making false statements to a federally backed financial institution.
According to Halligan, James illegally saved $18,000 in interest on her second Virginia-based property after listing it as her secondary residence, rather than the investment property that it was intended to be. Financial institutions typically charge higher rates for second properties or for properties used for renting.
Purposely lying on a mortgage application to federally backed institutions is a federal crime.
James responded in a video statement calling the charges “baseless” and “nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.”
This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.
I am not fearful — I am fearless.
We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. pic.twitter.com/X9U0EsHuGM
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) October 9, 2025
Notably, James first rose to national prominence during her 2018 campaign for New York attorney general, when she pledged to use her office to go after Trump before seeing any evidence of wrongdoing.
She later brought a civil fraud case against the Trump Organization and two of the president’s sons. That case resulted in a $450 million civil fine against Trump, though most of it was ultimately dismissed by a New York appellate court.
When New York Attorney General Letitia James ran in 2018, she called Trump an "illegitimate president," promised to be a "pain in his ass," said Trump was "fueling her soul," said "I look forward every day to suing Trump."
Today, she filed a civil suit against Trump and his kids pic.twitter.com/mDB8w9jfNQ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 21, 2022
