Letitia James' defense team signals it will challenge bank fraud prosecutor's appointment

New York Attorney General Letitia James' defense team on Thursday signaled in a court filing that it would challenge the legality of the prosecutor overseeing her alleged bank fraud case, who President Donald Trump appointed last month.

The Justice Department (DOJ) indicted James last month over allegations that she falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed assistance, loans and more favorable loan terms.

James' attorneys notified the federal judge overseeing the case in a two-page filing that they plan to formally ask him to dismiss the charges Friday because interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was allegedly unlawfully installed.

“In the interest of efficiency and to avoid any unnecessary delay, particularly if this Court must designate this motion to an out-of-district judge, Attorney General James files the instant Notice to formally alert the Court,” the filing reads, per The Hill.

The notice comes after former FBI Director James Comey used the same tactic to challenge the same prosecutor's appointment earlier this month. Trump appointed Halligan as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert resigned over pressure to indict Comey and James. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.