Hochul backs James after indictment, cites justice system weaponization

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New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul supplied her help of Empire State Lawyer Normal Letitia James when she was first indicted on expenses of financial institution fraud and making false statements to a monetary establishment, following years of the New York governor celebrating authorized challenges originating in her dwelling state and elsewhere in opposition to President Donald Trump.

"New Yorkers know @NewYorkStateAGJames for her integrity, her independence, and her relentless struggle for justice. What we're seeing right this moment is nothing lower than the weaponization of the Justice Division to punish those that maintain the highly effective accountable," Hochul posted to X following James' indictment.

A grand jury in Virginia indicted James Thursday, months after Federal Housing Finance Director Invoice Pulte mentioned in a felony referral to the Division of Justice in April that James allegedly falsified mortgage information to acquire extra favorable loans. She faces expenses of financial institution fraud and making false statements to a monetary establishment.

Pulte alleged in his felony referral that James bought a house in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2023, however recognized it as her main residence on mortgage paperwork and a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac kind. James is legally required to dwell in New York as a statewide elected official in that state.

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac places of work in New York will shutter in response to Lawyer Normal Letitia James' alleged "corrupt" enterprise practices, Fox Information Digital realized. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photos)

"Nobody is above the legislation. The fees as alleged on this case signify intentional, felony acts and large breaches of the general public’s belief," U.S. Lawyer for the Japanese District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan mentioned when James was indicted. "The info and the legislation on this case are clear, and we'll proceed following them to make sure that justice is served."

Hochul, in addition to different distinguished Democrats, have pointed to the indictment as alleged "political weaponization" and political persecution of a Trump foe by the hands of the administration.

James and Trump have lengthy traded barbs, with James campaigning for the attorney general job in 2018 vowing to pursue authorized expenses in opposition to Trump if elected. Her workplace in the end filed practically 100 authorized challenges in opposition to the primary Trump administration and vowed to proceed the authorized battles upon his re-election in November 2024.

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Trump accused Democrats of waging lawfare — which is known as leveraging the courts to realize political benefit — as a last-ditch try to stop him from working for the Oval Workplace once more within the 2024 cycle and securing one other federal election win. Trump, for instance, was indicted and located responsible in a New York case that accused him of falsifying enterprise information, he was indicted on racketeering expenses in Georgia, confronted federal felony instances claiming he mishandled delicate authorities paperwork after his first presidency, and one other claiming he tried to overturn the 2020 election outcomes.

Governor Hochul mentioned "I favor free enterprise" at an occasion within the Hamptons on Saturday in response to socialist Zohran Mamdani's plan for government-run grocery shops. (Julia Nikhinson, File/The Related Press)

Trump additionally confronted civil instances, together with James accusing Trump and the Trump Group of inflating asset values in a lawsuit that discovered Trump and his firms liable.

Fox Information Digital took a glance again at Hochul's earlier feedback on Trump and the authorized instances that plagued the president throughout his first administration by means of his interim because the forty fifth and forty seventh president, and located the governor ceaselessly celebrated instances that conservatives recognized as "lawfare."

Fox Information Digital reached out to Hochul's workplace for touch upon her previous remarks on authorized instances in opposition to Trump as she promotes the narrative that the administration is weaponizng the justice system in opposition to political foes however didn't instantly obtain a reply. Fox Digital particularly requested if Hochul stands by her earlier feedback that "nobody is above the legislation," contemplating James' indictment, however didn't obtain replies.

Trump is the primary and solely president to be impeached twice by the Home, with Hochul remaking throughout his first impeachment in 2019 — which accused him of abuse of energy and obstruction of Congress associated to allegedly searching for international interference from Ukraine to spice up his re-election efforts in 2020 — that nobody is above the legislation.

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"It’s actually fairly easy — NO ONE is above the legislation. Not now, not ever," she posted to Fb. "Speaker Pelosi & Democrats in Congress are holding the president accountable as a result of they've a patriotic obligation to uphold our Structure, not play partisan politics."

Letitia James and Kathy Hochul pose after the rally at 1199 SEIU (Service Workers Worldwide Union) Headquarters. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket through Getty Photos)

As Trump stood trial for the civil fraud case launched by James that accused Trump and Trump Group of monetary fraud, Hochul commented that she had "full confidence" that he can be held accountable, whereas additionally remarking that he had "mood tantrums" within the courtroom.

"Former President Donald Trump is testifying in an unprecedented civil trial introduced by our personal Lawyer Normal, Tish James. So removed from telling the reality as he is required to do, he is throwing mood tantrums from the witness stand and verbally attacking judges and courtroom workers. His conduct has been a shame and I've full confidence that Donald Trump might be held accountable for his actions," she mentioned in November of 2023.

A month later, the Democratic governor appeared to throw her help behind a lawsuit that aimed to stop Trump's identify from showing on voting ballots for the 2024 election.

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A gaggle of Colorado voters introduced forth a lawsuit in 2022 arguing Trump must be deemed ineligible from holding political workplace below a Civil Battle-era revolt clause. The lawsuit argued Trump's motion on Jan. 6, 2021 — when supporters breached the U.S. Capitol — violated a clause within the 14th Modification that forestalls officers of the USA, members of Congress or state legislatures who "engaged in revolt or revolt" in opposition to the Structure from holding political workplace.

"Jan. 6 will dwell in infamy. Disgrace on us if we overlook that," Hochul mentioned in December 2023, when the Colorado Supreme Courtroom declared him ineligible to run for president. "Disgrace on us what occurred to this nation when a Capitol that I used to proudly stroll in as a member of Congress was actually below siege, individuals died, individuals have been injured, and if he doesn’t take duty for that, then the American individuals ought to carry him accountable. In order that’s what’s beginning in Colorado."

The U.S. Supreme Courtroom unanimously dominated in March 2024 to maintain Trump on the poll.

President Donald Trump seems on throughout a gathering on the eightieth session of the UN’s Normal Meeting (UNGA) on the United Nations headquarters on September 23, 2025, in New York Metropolis. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos)

After Trump was discovered liable in James' civil fraud case in 2023 and ordered to pay $355 million nice, Hochul labored to calm different enterprise leaders' issues that they might face comparable trials, citing that Trump and "his habits" set him aside.

"I feel that that is actually a rare, uncommon circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who're enterprise individuals don't have anything to fret about, as a result of they’re very completely different than Donald Trump and his habits," Hochul mentioned on radio present "The Cats Roundtable" in February 2024.

An appeals courtroom threw out the financial penalty within the case earlier in 2025.

Later that very same yr, Hochul celebrated that "nobody is above the legislation" when Trump was discovered responsible in NY v. Trump on 34 counts of falsifying enterprise information.

"In the present day's verdict reaffirms that nobody is above the legislation," Hochul mentioned in an announcement in Could 2024. "In preparation for a verdict on this trial, I directed my Administration to intently coordinate with native and federal legislation enforcement and we proceed to observe the state of affairs. We're dedicated to defending the security of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our judicial system."

Because the election got here right down to the wire in 2024, Hochul slammed Trump as a "fraud" and "philanderer" who lacked New York values, whereas pointing to the NY v. Trump case.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her working mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz maintain a marketing campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 20, 2024. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

"Donald Trump was born a New Yorker however ended up a fraud, a philanderer, and a felon. He wasn’t raised with the New York values that I do know," Hochul declared throughout her Democratic Nationwide Conference speech in Chicago in 2024. "Belief me, America, in case you assume you’re bored with Donald Trump, speak to a New Yorker. We’ve needed to take care of them for 78 lengthy years, the fraud, the tax dodging, the sham college, the shady charities."

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Trump gained the Republican main within the 2024 election cycle, and swept the seven battleground states on Election Day, defeating then-Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed then-Preisdent Joe Biden within the Oval Workplace.

Hochul and James held a press convention the day after the election, and vowed to battle the Trump agenda whereas honoring the outcomes of the election.

"I need to be very clear that whereas we honor the outcomes of this election and can work with anybody who desires to be a accomplice in attaining the targets of our administration in our state, that doesn't imply we'll settle for an agenda from Washington that strips away the rights that New Yorkers have lengthy loved," Hochul mentioned on Nov. 6, 2024.

"We didn't anticipate this end result, however we're ready to reply to this end result," James mentioned throughout the identical press convention. "And my workplace has been making ready for a number of months as a result of we have been right here earlier than," James mentioned. "We confronted this problem earlier than, and we used the rule of legislation to struggle again. And we're ready to struggle again as soon as once more as a result of, because the lawyer basic of this nice state, it's my job to guard and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of legislation. And I cannot shrink from that duty."

Trump slammed the onslaught of courtroom instances in opposition to him lately, denying wrongdoing and figuring out them as makes an attempt from his political foes as instruments to stop him from searching for and successful re-election.

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"They're enjoying with the courts, as you realize, they have been enjoying with the courts for 4 years. Most likely bought me extra votes as a result of I bought the very best variety of votes ever gotten by a Republican by far, truly, by quite a bit. And, you realize, we had an excellent election, so I suppose it did not work. However even to this present day, they're enjoying with the courts and so they're pleasant judges that prefer to try to make all people glad. … It is known as lawfare, it is known as weaponization of justice," Trump mentioned in January, simply days earlier than he was sworn again into workplace.