The Justice Department has subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James in connection with her office’s handling of two high-profile matters: the civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and an investigation into the National Rifle Association (NRA), according to a Trump administration source familiar with the inquiries.
The subpoenas, first reported by The New York Times, were issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, which is leading the investigations. One subpoena focuses on the litigation James brought against President Trump and the Trump Organization, while the other seeks information on her office’s probe into the NRA.
The move marks an escalation in federal scrutiny of a state attorney general who has been one of the president’s most prominent legal adversaries. James began investigating Trump before his 2024 election victory and secured a significant civil judgment in 2022.
That case resulted in a court order for Trump and his company to pay $354 million in fines — an amount that has increased with interest — along with restrictions on obtaining loans from New York financial institutions for three years. The judgment also barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation. His sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., received additional penalties in their executive capacities at the company.
The Trump Organization appealed the ruling more than a year ago; the appeal remains pending.
In response to the subpoenas, a spokesperson for the New York Attorney General’s office said:
“Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American. We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights.”
James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, characterized the federal action as “the most blatant and desperate example” of political retribution.
“Investigating the fraud case Attorney General James won against President Trump and his businesses… is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration,” Lowell said.
The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York declined to comment.
Separately, CBS News reported in May that James is also the subject of an FBI-led criminal fraud investigation related to alleged mortgage fraud.
