New York Attorney General Letitia James criminally indicted amid feud with Donald Trump
A grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on a fraud charge following her long-running feud with Donald Trump.
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Ms James was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia on one count after a mortgage fraud investigation on Thursday.
The indictment is the latest indication of the Trump administration's determination to use the law enforcement powers of the Justice Department to pursue the president's political foes and public figures who once investigated him.
Mr Trump has been advocating charging Ms James for months, posting on social media without citing any evidence that she is "guilty as hell" and telling reporters at the White House: "It looks to me like she's really guilty of something, but I really don't know."
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In a statement, Ms James slammed Mr Trump, accusing him of a "desperate weaponisation of our justice system".
"He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State attorney general," she said.
"These charges are baseless, and the president's own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost."
The case proves "no one is above the law", US prosecutor Lindsey Halligan said.
"The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public's trust," she said.
"The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served."
Ms Halligan, who was previously Mr Trump’s personal attorney, was appointed after Erik Siebert resigned from the case.
He was reportedly sacked after telling the White House there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Ms James.
Ms James is due in court on October 24.