New York Republican lawmakers are requesting Attorney General Merrick Garland investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James due to accusations she leaked the donor list from former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley‘s nonprofit.
According to a report by Fox News, six New York Republicans are demanding an investigation into James due to a leak of tax filings for Haley’s conservative 501(c)4 Stand For America political nonprofit.
Included in the leak, which was published by Politico in late August, was a donor list that reportedly appears to include a stamp from James’ office.
Before being published, the documents were in the possession of the political watchdog organization Documented which has not revealed its source.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) led the group that sent a letter to Garland calling on the Department of Justice to look more deeply into the leak.
“The release of Stand For America’s donor records is extremely concerning,” Malliotakis told Fox News Digital in a statement.
The lawmaker went on to say, “Not only does it jeopardize protections non-profits are afforded under federal law, but it also sets a dangerous precedent of political weaponization by a state Attorney General.”
“This leak warrants an immediate investigation by the Department of Justice,” the New York Republican said.
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the letter sent by Malliotakis and five other Republicans where they said they “write with distinct concern … pertaining to the potential illegal delivery, receipt, and publication of private identities for financial donors.”
The lawmakers’ letter went on:
“As reported by Politico’s Alex Isenstadt on August 26, 2022, a political watchdog organization called Documented ‘obtained an unredacted copy of Stand For America’s 2019 filings, which it then shared with Politico,’” the letter reads. “‘The group did not share the original source of the filing, but it bears a stamp from the charity office of the New York State Attorney General.’”
“It is imperative that the DOJ evaluate and ascertain whether protections extended to organizations such as SFA were violated with political motivation to mitigate potential erosions of the rights to free speech afforded under the First Amendment,” the lawmakers continued.
James has also been in the news in recent months for following through on her promise to launch an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s New York business holdings.
