New York attorney general pleads not guilty in mortgage fraud case

Indictment of Trump foe stems from her purchase of modest house in Norfolk, Va.

- By BEN FINELY AND ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

LETITIA JAMES angered Trump by bringing a fraud case against him.

(TED SHAFFREY Associated Press)

New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges accusing her of lying on mortgage papers to secure favorable loan terms in a case pushed by President Trump.

James’ first court appearance in Virginia sets the stage for a high-stakes legal battle between the Republican administration and a Democratic longtime Trump adversary who angered him with a major civil fraud case she brought against him.

James left the courthouse smiling to cheers from supporters, who chanted, “We stand with Tish!” The case, she declared, was about “a justice system which has been used as a tool ofrevenge ...anda weapon against those individuals who simply did their job and who stood up for the rule of law.”

“My faith is strong, and I have this belief in the justice system and the rule of law, and I have a belief in America,” James said, adding, “There's no fear today.”

James was indicted this month after the top federal prosecutor who had been overseeing the investigation was pushed out by the Trump administration and the president publicly called on the Justice Department to take action against James and other political foes. She faces bank fraud and false-statements charges in connection with a 2020 home purchase in Norfolk, Va.