House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik on Monday called for New York Attorney General Letitia James to be disqualified or suspended for her “biased investigation” into former President Donald Trump and his businesses.
The New York lawmaker criticized James for violating the Rules of Professional Conduct by “attacking President Trump through extrajudicial statements” during a trial.
“In just the first five weeks of the trial that began in October 2023, before she stopped counting, Ms. James made more than 50 highly inappropriate and harmful comments on social media,” Stefanik wrote in a complaint filed with the Committee of Professional Affairs of New York. Standards.
“This complaint respectfully requests that the Attorney Grievance Committee conduct an investigation and issue an immediate interim suspension, disbar Ms. James as an attorney and general counsel, or suspend Ms. James.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron is currently weighing whether to fine the 77-year-old former commander in chief a whopping $370 million in the fraud case, after having found Trump responsible for one of the major accusations he faces.
James has said Trump inflated the net worth of his real estate empire by billions to obtain better loan and insurance terms.
His final verdict on the Trump Organization’s business dealings is expected this week.
Rep. Elise Stefanik has filed a complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her of a “biased investigation” into former President Donald Trump’s alleged business fraud. AP
His final verdict on the Trump Organization’s business dealings is expected later this month.
The alleged extrajudicial comments that James made about X during the trial included allegations of illegal conductcomments undermining the credibility of witnesses and personal attacks — thus violating the rules on publicity of trials, Stefanik argued.
“Indeed, Ms. James’s conduct supports a compelling inference that she is deliberately with the intention of influencing the outcome of the matter by creating a powerful media narrative that prejudges the responsibility of the accused,” the complaint states.
“EM. James’ out-of-court statements could influence the appellate judge or judges who hear the comments. These comments may also affect public perception of the sentence and appellate decisions reviewing that sentence, for example, by making the “The public will be more receptive to an illegal sentence against President Trump, his family and his business.”
Stefanik alleged that James violated the Rules of Professional Conduct “through out-of-court statements during a trial,” in a complaint filed with the New York Professional Standards Committee. Pablo Martinka
The attorney general’s “extreme partisan hostility” toward Trump dates back to the president’s first year in office, the complaint notes, when James, who had not yet been elected to state office, directed “die in”protests because “this administration is killing us all.”
When he ran for office in 2018, he further pledged to investigate Trump’s real estate empire, accusing him of money laundering and labeling him a “con artist” and “carnival thief.”
The remarks drew rebukes from former federal prosecutors, including former Virginia U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg and former Manhattan Deputy U.S. Attorney Dan Goldman. Rosenberg also urged James to recuse himself.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron is currently weighing whether to fine Trump $370 million in the civil fraud case. AFP via Getty Images
Stefanik’s complaint also cites James’ association with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to bring commercial fraud charges against Trump for making “hush money” payments through his legal counsel to the porn star. Stormy Daniels.
The payments were allegedly made to ensure she remained silent about a matter dating back a decade before the 2016 election.
The complaint, which was first reported by NBC News, adds that attorneys general are “held to a higher standard due to their unique role as officers of the court” and that James’ conduct “not only constitutes a violation of their professional responsibilities but also risks irreparable damage to the public’s already eroded trust in our legal institutions.”
The Attorney General’s Grievance Committee has obtained interim suspensions in recent years, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani lost his law license in 2021 over his allegations of election interference in the 2020 presidential election.
“In just the first five weeks of the trial that began in October 2023, before she stopped counting, Ms. James made more than 50 highly inappropriate and harmful comments on social media,” Stefanik wrote in the complaint. Pablo Martinka
Trump shared Stefanik’s complaint on his Truth Social account.
Trump’s previous motions to dismiss the case on political grounds were rejected by Engoron and upheld by an appeals court.
The real estate mogul has taken nearly every opportunity in court and on his social media platform to repeatedly personally attack James, Engoron and the case.
And Trump’s criticism of Engoron’s law clerk earned him a gag order, which was upheld by the New York Court of Appeals.
The House Republican conference chair also filed previous ethics complaints against Engoron and Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who is overseeing Trump’s 2020 election interference case.
James’ office declined to comment Tuesday.
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