Civil Action Podcast

Civil Action: Trump’s Revenge on Letitia James Backfires

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how Donald Trump is prosecuting former New York Attorney General Letitia James—who successfully sued Trump for fraud—over alleged mortgage misrepresentations involving less than $25,000, despite a leaked DOJ memo showing career prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence of intent to defraud and warned the case would subject DOJ to selective prosecution claims. The hosts reveal how Trump’s personal lawyer Lindsay Halligan, with zero prosecutorial experience, personally signed the indictment after her predecessor Erik Siebert refused to bring charges, while potentially being unlawfully appointed beyond the statutory 120-day limit. They detail how prosecutors found the lender conducted its own due diligence, suffered no financial loss, acknowledged James corrected the misstatements, and noted public documents listed New York as her primary residence—while Trump has singled out three prominent Black women for retribution: Lisa Cook (first Black woman Federal Reserve governor), Letitia James (first Black person and first woman elected New York Attorney General), and Fani Willis (first woman Fulton County DA)—and how this prosecution will likely be thrown out and could result in a malicious prosecution lawsuit against the federal government.