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WASHINGTON — President Trump declared New York Attorney General Letitia James “a total crook” Tuesday — and said the Justice Department would “do what’s right” after receiving a criminal referral accusing her of mortgage fraud.
Trump weighed in on the scandal during an Oval Office appearance moments after US Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters, “we don’t discuss anything pending or not within my office” when asked about the April 14 referral against James from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte.
“I can say unrelated to that, she’s a disaster for New York. She’s a horrible, horrible human being, and I think she’s a total crook, there’s no question about it — but that’s just my opinion,” Trump said.
“Pam’s gonna have to do what she wants,” Trump added.
“She’s a very bad person. She’s a very, very bad — a very bad person who campaigned solely on ‘I’m going to get Donald Trump’ over and over again. She’s a sick person. But that’s has nothing to do with what Pam does. Pam is going to do what’s right. She always does. I’ve known her a long time.”
A spokesperson for James, who has denied wrongdoing, said the attorney general will not respond to personal attacks.
“AG James is focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers and upholding the law – not personal attacks, no matter who they come from,” the spox said.
The elected Democrat last February won a $364 million judgment after accusing Trump of inflating the value of his assets, including to secure more favorable loan terms. As part of the judgment, Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr. were ordered to pay $4 million each.
As of last month, the size of the penalties topped $500 million due to the accrual of interest as Trump appeals.
The allegations against James also stem from the details of financial documents.
Pulte’s criminal referral, addressed to Bondi, cites media reports about “multiple instances” in which James allegedly “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms.”
“This has potentially included 1) falsifying residence status for a Norfolk, Virginia-based home in order to secure a lower mortgage rate and 2) misrepresenting property descriptions to meet stringent requirements for government-backed loans and government assistance,” Pulte wrote.
In August 2023, James allegedly said in documents that the Norfolk home would be her primary residence — despite listing her home address as being in New York on other forms.
“Primary residence mortgages receive more favorable loan terms, including lower interest rates than secondary residence mortgages,” Pulte wrote.
James also allegedly listed a five-unit Brooklyn residence that she has owned since 2001 as having only four units — allowing her to meet the eligibility requirement for Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac “conforming loans” that are “subject to a cap of four dwellings per property,” Pulte wrote.
“A building that exceeds four units must be treated as a multifamily property, and typically has larger down payment requirements and higher interest rates terms — with interest rates being between 0.75-1 percent higher — due to lenders viewing multifamily loans as significantly riskier,” the criminal referral says.
James’ personal attorney, Abbe Lowell, denied the allegations in an April 24 letter to Bondi, saying there was a misunderstanding about both instances.
Lowell wrote that the Norfolk documents were not fraudulent because James’ niece, Shamice Thompson-Hairston, was to occupy that home and that the document “mistakenly stated the property to be Ms. James’ principal residence.”
The attorney argued that James didn’t lie about the Brooklyn property having four units rather than five because “the property has functioned as a four-unit residence for the past 24 years since Ms. James bought it” and that its basement has been unoccupied.
English (US)