Incoming NY Attorney General vows to use full power of the State to get Trump
Letitia James: “We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well”
A series of New York State Attorney Generals have weaponized the Office of Attorney General against Donald Trump, his relatives, and his businesses.
AG Eric Schneiderman, who ended up resigning in disgrace after sexual abuse allegations, made a name for himself by threatening Trump, as the NY Times reported just before Schneiderman resigned:
For the last 17 months, Eric T. Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York, had held himself up as the anti-Trump: a one-man legal wrecking ball, taking on the president and his agenda in both the courts and the court of public opinion…
Some have even held up Mr. Schneiderman as a potential backstop to prosecute crimes should President Trump choose to pardon his associates in the continuing special counsel investigation led by Robert S. Mueller III. The president’s vast federal pardoning powers do not apply to violation of state laws.
Schneiderman’s interim successor, AG Barbara Underwood, continued the use of the Office of Attorney General to get a political enemy. Her press release reflected the full-blown attempt to take down a variety of Trumps:
Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced a lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation, and its directors, Donald J. Trump (“Mr. Trump”), Donald J. Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. The petition filed today alleges a pattern of persistent illegal conduct, occurring over more than a decade, that includes extensive unlawful political coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing transactions to benefit Mr. Trump’s personal and business interests, and violations of basic legal obligations for non-profit foundations. The Attorney General initiated a special proceeding to dissolve the Trump Foundation under court supervision and obtain restitution of $2.8 million and additional penalties. The AG’s lawsuit also seeks a ban from future service as a director of a New York not-for-profit of 10 years for Mr. Trump and one year for each of the Foundation’s other board members, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. The Attorney General also sent referral letters today to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission, identifying possible violations of federal law for further investigation and legal action by those federal agencies.
All of the candidates for NY AG in 2018 pledged to use the Office to get Trump. As CNBC reported, candidate Letitia James was particularly aggressive in pledging to get Trump:
“The president of the United States has to worry about three things: Mueller, Cohen, and Tish James,” James told Yahoo News for an article published last month.
James won the Democrat nomination, and needless to say, the General Election. James, getting ready to take over the huge AG Office and all its power, pledged again to get Trump. NBC News reports:
New York Attorney Gen.-elect Letitia James says she plans to launch sweeping investigations into President Donald Trump, his family and “anyone” in his circle who may have violated the law once she settles into her new job next month.
“We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well,” James, a Democrat, told NBC News in her first extensive interview since she was elected last month.
James outlined some of the probes she intends to pursue with regard to the president, his businesses and his family members. They include:
- Any potential illegalities involving Trump’s real estate holdings in New York, highlighting a New York Times investigation published in October into the president’s finances.
- The June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian official.
- Examine government subsidies Trump received, which were also the subject of Times investigative work.
- Whether he is in violation of the emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution through his New York businesses.
- Continue to probe the Trump Foundation.
“We want to investigate anyone in his orbit who has, in fact, violated the law,” said James, who was endorsed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
James campaigned on passing a bill to change New York’s double jeopardy laws with an eye on possible pardons coming out of the White House. James told NBC News she wants to be able to pursue state charges against anyone the president were to pardon over federal charges or convictions and whose alleged crimes took place in the state. Under current New York law, she might not be able to do that…
For her part, James said she thinks Mueller’s “doing an excellent job.”
“I think he’s closing in on this president,” she said, “and his days are going to be coming to an end shortly.”
That the state prosecutors office would weaponized against a political opponent in such a way is a truly frightening reminder of what I wrote about in August 2018, The value of Trump to the Trump voter is that he stands between them and #TheResistance:
The sharks clearly are circling all things Trump looking for a crime which, even if it can’t remove Trump from the presidency, will put a price tag on anyone associated with Trump….
Right now the value of Trump to the Trump voter is he is all that stands between them and the people who hate them every bit as much as they hate Trump.
Or if you want an even shorter version, “the Flight 93 Election never ended”:
2016 is the Flight 93 election: charge the cockpit or you die. You may die anyway. You—or the leader of your party—may make it into the cockpit and not know how to fly or land the plane. There are no guarantees.
Except one: if you don’t try, death is certain. To compound the metaphor: a Hillary Clinton presidency is Russian Roulette with a semi-auto. With Trump, at least you can spin the cylinder and take your chances.
Trump voters are berated and belittled with the same ferocity as directed at Trump himself. #TheResistance doesn’t distinguish between Trump and his voters.
What’s at stake in 2020 is not just an election, it’s whether we will enable the open abuse of state power by Democrats.
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Comments
we are no longer a nation of laws…
and the hot civil war keeps getting closer.
i’m just trying to figure out who the Left thinks is going to do the fighting on their side?
i already know who’s going to do the dying.
The left has been diligently filtering and indoctrinating law enforcement for some time now. Witness what occurred in Berkeley, San Jose, and most recently in Seattle–police protection of leftist goons as they attack anyone and everyone who they accuse of being fascists.
The answer is that they expect most of law enforcement to do the dirty work of these kangaroo courts. After all, it worked in Russia, Cuba, and China. The question is will Americans be Americans about the coming pogroms or Russians?
“What would things been like [in Russia] if during periods of mass arrests people had not simply sat there, paling with terror at every bang on the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but understood they had nothing to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people?” ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The rank & file police officers have a much different take than do those in the common sense free levels of the administrations.
Yes. They do. But, when the hot war starts, they will need to decide whether they. a) support the common people and our Constitution, or, follow orders and keep their paychecks, benefits, pensions, and that badge that grants them qualified immunity to use the firearms, armored vehicles, and other federally-provided toys they want an excuse to play with.
I believe they will follow orders.
Their first decision is going to be to find an answer to the question “Who wins?” If they decide the city/state will undoubtedly win, most will do what they are told to keep that check, etc. If they aren’t at all sure who will win, it’s a tossup as to which way they go. If they don’t think the local government survives as presently constituted, their paycheck and benefits are likely gone anyway and they are more likely than not to take care of their family first and hope the Feds take control of the situation and install a new government on a temp basis which will continue their employment.
Many of the rank and file do not agree with the politics of the brass and haven’t for many years now. Yet that attitude didn’t prevent them from watching a young be beaten to death for the insult of protecting a woman from a gangbanger assault in Seattle.
Solzhenitsyn is a must-read (I’ve peeled through Gulag 3 times). Well done!
I would not deny the Socialist-Democrats expect law enforcement to do their dirty work. But the exemplar departments/cities have officers who are protecting their jobs and retirement. IF it were ever to come to a “hot” civil war, that retirement might not be there and other calculations, such as survival, may come to the fore in their consideration.
No matter what, there aren’t sufficient numbers of sworn officers on both coasts to “take the fight” to “flyover country”. Years and years ago I knew a few NYPD Officers/Detectives and unless they have drastically changed I don’t think NYPD can be depended upon to attack the citizens if there is widespread general rebellion, particularly if deployed outside NYC. And I doubt there are sufficient numbers of LEOs (“loyal” or not) in the country to successfully contain a general rebellion.
The fighting for the left will be done by thugs with black masks over their faces and years worth of experience at staging riots, burning buildings, attacking the defenseless with baseball bats.
I’m old enough to remember the sixties and early seventies, when the left made bombs and robbed banks to finance their “revolution” and murdered people within their own ranks who weren’t “committed” enough.
DO NOT underestimate the left’s capacity for violence. They won’t stop at baseball bats.
Does everyone understand now why the left aligns with street criminals? (Their white collar criminal.allies make lousy brownshirts.)
Thanks, swamp sessions. Your work here is done.
Nor will John Q. Public stop at bricks and bats once he decides he must be involved to defend himself, his family, his neighbors and the country. There are more of us than the thugs wearing black masks (hopefully they would keep that up, it makes them easily identified targets).
And I sincerely hope we never get to this stage. And not only because our external enemies would take full advantage of the fight against internal enemies.
It seems to me that James and others are conspiring (RICO) and committing crimes under color of law. Perhaps we can have a federal investigation and prosecution of these people?
Just think how the left would howl.
It seems to me that you’re an idiot. Investigating someone is not a crime, no matter what is the motivation.
Not exactly correct.
Simply investigating a person, without a reasonable suspicion that a crime is being, or has been, committed, is essentially a violation of federal civil rights law. It is also the basis of many harassment laws and, of course, big money civil suits. Government agents may investigate crimes and suspicious incidents which may reasonably indicate criminal activity, but they can not investigate a person, legally.
The Fascist idiot speaks. In order to investigate, there has to be something illegal first.
An allegation of illegality. There does not have to be an actual crime.
Maybe you are the idiot, but not all the time. If they are collectively using their authority to harass citizens, then they can be removed from office and be civilly or criminally held accountable for those actions. Beyond that, they are not the only people who can play the game, they could find themselves under a microscope.
Directed to Milhouse’s idiocy.
42 USC 1983 Federal Civil Statute for deprivation of rights under color of law.
18 USC 242 Criminal Statute for same.
No different than the corrupt practices of Kamala and Xavier Becerra in CA
Oh for God’s sake!
Another one!
LOL
And, turn about being fair play, in red states democrats will be indicted for being democrats, with the added bonus that red states typically have capital punishment, whereas blue state typically do not.
That’s not how the games played. The democrat globe trotters do whatever they want and the republican generals lose. They lose because while the democrats do everything, including commit crimes and use the law to persecute their enemies the republicans adjust their bowties. The democrats support their street troops and pay them for their work. Bill Ayers was invited to the Whitehouse and had lucrative gigs in academe after his bombing murderous run. Feature not a bug. The GOPe is controlled opposition.
Funny, I thought her job was to enforce the laws of New York State, within New York State, in an impartial and balanced manner. Silly me.
The New York Attorney General just announced she has an Enemies List.
And, liberals are okay with that.
So were conservatives with Nixon’s.
Trump should whisper in someone’s ear at the IRS that her taxes should probably be looked at…for the last 10 years.
The IRS would not only refuse to act on such a suggestion, but also immediately leak it to the House Democrats as grounds for impeachment.
Oh, absolutely true, which makes the downvotes unjustified.
Letitia James has announced her intentions to use the law as Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria did- “Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.”. IOW, she intends to establish a totalitarian state. So the question is, using the United States Declaration of Independence as a guide- is it now the time for armed rebellion?
As opposed to when Obama did it.
Actually, the IRS has been known to audit someone 2-3 years in a row. If nothing else, it would be funny for what is probably an affirmative dullard to be given a strong dose of her own medicine. Her actions demonstrate a fundamental disrespect for rule of law.
I would like to understand how a meeting with a Democrat-affiliated Russian attorney breaks a NY state law. But I am sure that a law can be found and tortured into submission to make such a meeting a crime.
Certainly the process will be the punishment, if nothing else. And I expect some of the people working for the Trump Foundation will find themselves charged, bankrupted, and potentially imprisoned as a lesson to the rest of us–don’t think you can stand against the power of unscrupulous leftist government.
Given that the Gov decided he needed to punish the NRA, so had his (IIRC) Financial Services bureaucrat gently hint to banks and insurance companies based in NY State that it wouldn’t be healthy for their business if they continued any business contracts with the NRA. NRA had to search for another insurance company to underwrite their “Carry Guard” Defense Insurance program when the NY company dumped them like a hot potato. NRA is suing the State and I think I recollect the Governor personally (could be mistaken there).
There is no statute or regulation these people won’t break in their efforts to increase their power and destroy, if possible, those they consider “the enemy”.
In the US you break at least 3 laws every 15 minutes.
We also have the finest justice system money can buy. The peasantry is easily railroaded. If you have money, you get great counsel, and that counsel probably went to law school with the judge or the DA.
Yeah, I’m cynical. Sue me.
Amazing what a sleaze some people rise to be.
But then, James probably always was one.
We can take this low-life as seriously as we take maxine waters.
I’m not an attorney. But this seems like a great opportunity for an even more experienced attorney to attack and sue for malicious prosecution. Will Rudy take it on?
Any New York civil rights attorney could take it on:
Malicious Prosecution in New York:
https://lawyer1.com/civil-rights-litigation/malicious-prosecution/
Yeah, but with Rudy involved it will get all the nattering Trump haters on every cable channel to incessantly cover it. They would love nothing more than to highlight and spin his every word.
They’ll spin it anyway. Their only power is if you care what they have to say.
Hell, maybe Mika Brezinski will even make more anti-gay jokes.
I would think its time to BURY this woman under Bar Complaints.
The Bar will do nothing. But, at least she will be forced to spend time and money defending these illegal threats.
Just another D’rat making entertaining noises. Nothing there looks very serious. The giveaway is the “emoluments clause” thing; a ridiculous claim, and even if it wasn’t, hardly a NY State matter. All just silliness likely to get people like Times readers all damp, and that’s about it.
Maybe she thinks she has a shot for the 2020 nomination if she gets enough publicity.
So, when is somebody going to sanction her and her ilk for their blatant abuse of power? Not holding my breath.
I hate these people and I believe I AM becoming a racist
Despicable, scummy people come in all colors, as we’ve seen well since the Swamp has been fully exposed.
Hate away.
Maybe not racIST, but, racially aware. I’ve noted that a very high percentage of the trouble being caused, or threatened, is coming from blacks, women, black women, and “Hispanics” who are “Hispanic” first, and American somewhere down the list.
“2016 is the Flight 93 election: charge the cockpit or you die. You may die anyway. You—or the leader of your party—may make it into the cockpit and not know how to fly or land the plane. There are no guarantees.”
Three differences:
1. We aren’t dealing with jihadis. We’re dealing with Leftists who a) want to live and b) want to have something left to rule over. This limits the amount of force they dare to use, Rep Swallows-well to the contrary.
2. We know how to fly the plane. The Constitution is our flight manual, once we’ve killed the people blocking the controls.
3. The opposition has a number of exploitable fracture points. Chief among them is that they will have to worry about the underclass they’ve created deciding to eat them.
The underclass has been bought and paid for.
The middle class is on the string, too. Now do we fully understand the goal of the student loan debt scam?
Thanks for watching our backs, boehner, mccain, ryan, flake, corker, mcconnell, sessions and the rest of you GOPe rats.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper.
If there is an “ism” for hating Democrats and the Left, count me in.
How people get through law school and pass the Bar, and then think it’s acceptable to use the power of the state to investigate, and potentially charge and prosecute, someone without regard for due process and other rights is mind blowing.
A hack like her probably was chaperoned through law school.
Remember: the Nazis had good lawyers who wrote their ‘enabling acts.’
Hell, so do we. One of them is named john roberts.
It would seem that there are a lot of them, and quite a few work for Mueller.
As a result of her election as AG in November, NYC will have three election days next year to replace her as public advocate, when normally none would be scheduled. First there will be a non-partisan special election, probably some time in February, for an interim replacement to serve in her place until November, then a primary in September and a general election in November for a “permanent” replacement who will fill out the rest of her term. All for a position that has pretty much no duties.
Well, I’m glad, because if I work all three days, plus a training session, I can expect to earn about $800. But the city could do other things with that money, and the voters with their time.
Hunh? What?
What didn’t you understand? Normally there would be no elections scheduled in 2019. But because James will be leaving her post to become AG, there will first be a non-partisan special election in (probably) February for an interim replacement. Then in September there will be a primary, and in November a general election, to choose someone to fill out the rest of her term. So three days of voting in 2019, instead of none. For a position with no duties.
Ms. James, pay attention,as the last AG, Schneiderman left in disgrace. You didn’t get to where you are at without having a few skeletons in the closet. People will be looking, your agenda is politically motivated. There are many more crimes and issues to be investigated in the Empire State.
Better yet, go for it !!! N.Y. will likely wind up paying Trump.
“You didn’t get to where you are at without having a few skeletons in the closet.”
This may be why the Dems are running young, inexperienced twits like Beato and Occsional-Cortex – younger people, with less experience in, and fewer complication with real-life, worldly matters, are less likely to have such skeletons. They simply haven’t been around long enough to accumulate them.
If what they’re doing to Trump is any indication (and I believe it is, see my other post here) of how Dems plan to campaign in the future (and operate in post-election environments), sooner or later Republicans will fight fire with fire. If there’s less fuel to burn, the backfire will be less effective.
Oh, I don’t know. Robert Francis “Beta” O’Rourke has a couple of skeletons in his closet. Admittedly they would have been far, far worse had his father not been a County Judge.
Insanity
It is, if clinton, pelosi, sharpton, obama,, cuomo and the like arent investigated.
Thanks, sessions, you POS. They couldnt have gotten off the hook without you. Even wasserman schultz thanks you.
It’s pretty sad when someone can announce publicly they intent to abuse the powers of their office and in response there are cheers.
It’s called “Utopia” by the Dems/totalitarians.
Far worse than “sad”. Malfeasance is a criminal act and this is pretty clearly more than misfeasance, but rather malfeasance on her part.
This is exactly what Democrats want AND she will get ample cover from the democrat media (hah…I just repeated myself!).
Why don’t they just get it over and pass a law making it a crime to be a conservative while running for or holding office? That’s essentially what they are attempting to do anyway.
First they have to pass the bills making it a crime to be Donald J. Trump, a relative of Donald J. Trump, someone who worked/works for Donald J. Trump or someone who holds a positive view of Donald J. Trump as a human being.
Conservatives will soon learn the value of the jury system ( it takes but 1 to hang a jury). Those who believe they will be targeted will soon learn how to circle the wagons and resist. Ms. James reminds me of Baltimore DA Mosby. In the end all talk, little action. James’s words invoke persecution, not prosecution.
“Paging Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts. Paging Justice Roberts, please report to NBC news.”
Anyone else waiting for him to chime in on this news story with some insufferable puffery about how there are no Democrat judges?
HINT: Don’t hold your breath.
Marilyn Mosby gets a promotion..
Soliciting a bit of legal advice from this erudite assembly:
Claims involving campaign finance are a federal matteroutside the powers of Letitia.
But if she goes after accounting matters at the state level, these are issues that have been be dealt with over the president’s long business career, or should have been.
SO what is new now, other than Letitia’s partisan venom?
Just imagine if a white NY A.G. went after Obama as in this case, the cries of a’racist” would be heard from the media and congress! This woman James is at a minimum biased and power hungry, and exhibiting racist behavior under the banner of justice.
Stop wasting your taxpayer’s money on Federal crimes that are outside your jurisdiction. You’ll serve your constituents better if you clean up the corruption in your own state.
Well, how else is she going to get her name on the potential AG list when the next Dem takes the Presidency? According to Milhouse up above, she only has a year before her job comes up for re-vote…gotta make hay while the sun shines, ya know.
Nope, she’s just been elected to a four-year term. Now NYC has to elect a replacement for her old job, which she’s leaving in the new year.
Letitia cannot be so clean herself. Time to hire investigators to delve into every aspect of her family activities over the past 20 years. Maybe able to dig up some really interesting scandals. This announcement is clearly an abuse of power and should be challenged in the State and federal courts from the very beginning. Put a little heat on this moronic Commiecrat and I bet she folds real fast.
That wench will muster every bit of her 85 IQ to attack President Trump.
room temp would be my guess
Abuse of power under color of law.
If IGNORANCE is bliss? these are the happiest DOLTS that could ever be, IMO
No matter what action she brings under the cover of her office, any Defence Attorney should use the above vidio in his opening statement. Having telegraphed her intention to abuse the power of her office, any case she brings should be examined in the full light of her bias.
That only works against President Trump, where that judge ruled Trump’s campaign rhetoric suddenly and magically elevated to established law.
Words of warning to the NY AG,
Schneiderman also felt he needed to go after PDJT. Strangely enough, dirt fell from the sky and now he is no longer the AG.
Also, ask Harry Reid how the actions he took with the Senate resulted in the Gorsuch and Kavanaugh confirmations. The actions you brazenly take against PDJT can come back to haunt a future (or past) President of another party.
If you want to look up criminal activity, please feel free to examine the Clinton Global Initiative. I bet lots can be found within that swamp.
(but again, this isn’t about Justice and Law? Its about Just-Us and how the D’s were robbed in 2016).
It would be an awful shame if Trump International was to relocate to another state and their substantial tax payments were going to help a red state….
She’s going the way of the John Doe investigations in Wisconsin. Listen to what these people are saying – they are not our friends, they are the enemy. Act accordingly.
Buy ammo.
I’m buying additional stores of food. The ammo locker could equip a rump battalion as it is now!
But sharpton is a hero???
Who will carry out the normal duties of the NY AG if she plans to devote herself to demolishing Trump? I suspect the ordinary citizens will get the short end of the stick.
“I suspect the ordinary citizens will get the short end of the stick.”
That’s been going on for the last 50 years at least, no change there.
” You can take the rat out of the hood……….”