Radio host Charlamagne Tha God claimed on Thursday that the federal investigation into Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James over mortgage fraud allegations was merely “retaliation” by President Donald Trump.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York reportedly opened a formal probe into James over the allegations on May 8, with the attorney general repeatedly characterizing the allegations as retribution for targeting Trump. Charlamagne, speaking on “The Breakfast Club,” parroted her talking point.
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“We do know that Tish James is absolutely correct, right? This is just retaliation for the charges that Tish James brought against Donald Trump,” Charlamagne said. “Like, Donald Trump has a list, and Tish James is high on that list, as I’m sure [Manhattan District Attorney] Alvin Bragg is. Alvin Bragg [has] been very quiet — probably rightfully so. But, you know, we do know this is retaliation.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi established a Weaponization Working Group upon being sworn in to her role in February, writing in a memo that in part it would look into former special counsel Jack Smith’s efforts targeting Trump, as well as cooperation of federal officials with the offices of Bragg and James. However, the White Collar Fraud blog first reported on the evidence of James’ alleged misconduct on April 1.
U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. Pulte wrote a referral letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 14 indicating James falsified mortgage records, the Times Union reported.
Pulte’s letter accused James of describing a Norfolk, Virginia, property as her “principal residence” on mortgage records in 2023, although the attorney general is legally required to have her primary residence in New York. The letter states that mortgages on primary residences “receive more favorable loan terms” that include lower interest rates unlike secondary residence mortgages.
“Based on media reports, Ms. Letitia James has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms,” Pulte wrote in the letter addressed to Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This has potentially included 1) falsifying residence status for a Norfolk, Virginia-based home in order to secure a lower mortgage rate and 2) misrepresenting property descriptions to meet stringent requirements for government backed loans and government assistance.”
James did not appear to live in either of the two Virginia residences highlighted in White Collar Fraud’s report when the Daily Caller News Foundation visited them on April 16. Multiple neighbors told the DCNF they did not recognize James when shown a photo of her, and one neighbor asserted that the occupants of the residence do not include the “lady from New York.”
James pledged to investigate Trump during her 2018 campaign to become attorney general. She filed suit against Trump in September 2022, alleging he inflated the value of real estate properties to receive loans, ultimately obtaining a ruling in February 2024 that he must pay $354 million, with additional penalties increasing the total to over $450 million.
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