Federal prosecutors in Albany have issued subpoenas to New York Attorney General Letitia James concerning her office’s civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and the corruption case involving the National Rifle Association, multiple sources told ABC News.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.
A spokesperson for James described the subpoenas as a “weaponization of the justice system,” echoing a criticism Trump has leveled against her fraud case that resulted in a half-billion-dollar penalty.
“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,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The civil fraud case is currently on appeal with the New York State Appellate Division’s First Department. Trump, his eldest sons, and his business were found liable for a decade-long fraud scheme that inflated the president’s net worth.
James sued the NRA in 2020, accusing the gun rights group’s former CEO, Wayne LaPierre, and others of misusing donor funds to finance luxury expenses for themselves. A jury found LaPierre owed more than $4 million.
The subpoenas, issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, are part of an investigation into whether James and her office violated the civil rights of Trump or NRA executives, sources said.
An attorney for James, Abbe Lowell, called the investigation “a dangerous escalation” and “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign.”
“If prosecutors carry out this improper tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are ready and waiting with the facts and the law,” Lowell said in a statement.
Trump and his eldest sons currently owe more than $500 million, including interest, after a 2023 judge’s ruling found they repeatedly inflated Trump’s net worth to secure favorable loan terms over many years. Judge Arthur Engoron described the fraud as one that “shocks the conscience” while issuing the fines last year.
A ruling on Trump’s appeal of the judgment could come at any moment.
