New York Attorney General Letitia James, D, received prolonged cheers as she walked onto a Washington Heights stage at a rally for Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. It marked her first public appearance since being indicted on federal mortgage fraud charges, and she reaffirmed her refusal to back away from the case, according to CBS News and The Associated Press.
“I will not bow, I will not break, I will not bend, I will not capitulate,” James told the crowd at the United Palace Theater. She did not mention President Donald Trump by name but warned of “powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent,” the AP reported.
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The attorney general’s indictment has intensified debate over political influence within the justice system.
Last week, federal prosecutors in Virginia charged James with one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement tied to a 2020 home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia. Prosecutors say the mortgage required the property to be used as her primary residence for a year. Instead, they said, she used the house as a rental property.
James dismissed the allegations, calling them part of Trump’s “desperate weaponization of our justice system.”
James was indicted shortly after Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi in a Truth Social post to bring charges against his political enemies, specifically James, former FBI Director James Comey and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Comey was charged last month with lying to Congress.
James’ appearance at Monday’s rally also rekindled a broader political fight over her past litigation against Trump. As attorney general, she won a large civil judgment against Trump and his companies; an appeals court later overturned the fine while leaving in place the lower court’s finding that Trump committed fraud.
What James and allies said
At the event, which drew thousands, Mamdani praised James as a fighter for New Yorkers.
“For years, you have fought the good fight,” he said, “and now it’s our chance to fight for you.”
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker who identifies as a Democratic socialist, holds a double-digit lead over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The election is Nov. 4.
James depicted the charges against her as part of a larger effort.
“We are witnessing the fraying of our democracy, the erosion of our system of government,” she said.
What watchdogs and critics are saying
Beyond the rally, a separate push is underway in Washington.
The Democracy Defenders Fund, led by former ethics officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations, urged the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate the prosecutions of James and Comey, according to a letter obtained by CBS News.
The group alleged that indictments obtained by acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia were an attempt to “fulfill President Trump’s personal vendetta against his political enemies.”
Halligan, a former Trump aide, has defended the cases as lawful and necessary, saying the indictments reflect criminal acts and breaches of the public’s trust.
James is scheduled to make an initial appearance in Norfolk federal court on Oct. 24.
