By: Carl Schwartzbaum

New York Attorney General Letitia James, already a high-profile political nemesis of  President Donald Trump, is back in the spotlight—this time claiming she is being surveilled on Trump’s orders, just days before reports emerged that the Department of Justice has launched a criminal probe into mortgage fraud allegations against her. As reported by The New York Post, the situation has quickly evolved into a combustible mix of political intrigue, legal peril, and personal retaliation.

Speaking at a May 3 rally hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in Harlem, James delivered a fiery address to a crowd of supporters while campaigning for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a longshot candidate in the upcoming mayoral race. Her speech included startling claims that she is being actively surveilled.

“They got individuals coming to my house, standing outside my house. Last Sunday—church Sunday while I was in church—these individuals were in front of my house, taking pictures and then streaming it, putting it on social media,” James alleged, according to The New York Post report.

James did not specify whether the alleged surveillance occurred at her Brooklyn home or at a shadowy Norfolk, Virginia property she also owns—a key detail that has since emerged as central to the federal investigation now targeting her.

The criminal probe, first reported on Thursday, is being spearheaded by the Department of Justice at the request of Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte, a Trump appointee. As The New York Post report detailed, the investigation centers on accusations that James falsified information on loan applications for favorable mortgage terms.

According to federal sources cited by The Post, James is suspected of misrepresenting the number of units in her Brooklyn home and falsely identifying her Norfolk property as her primary residence, both of which could constitute mortgage fraud.

James, through her attorney Abbe David Lowell, blasted the investigation as political retribution orchestrated by the Trump-aligned elements within the federal government.

“This appears to be the political retribution President Trump threatened to exact,” Lowell said, calling the allegations “baseless and long-discredited” in statements reported by The New York Post. “If prosecutors are genuinely interested in the truth, we are prepared to meet false claims with facts.”

James’ blistering remarks last weekend painted a clear picture of a political feud escalating into personal confrontation. She framed the new scrutiny not as an impartial legal matter, but as a direct consequence of her office’s victory in a civil fraud lawsuit against Trump that resulted in a $454 million judgment.

“This isn’t nothing more than a revenge tour! This is nothing more than vindictiveness!” she thundered. “This is nothing more than an individual who is upset at me because we secured a $454 million judgment against him and his family and his company!”

That landmark judgment, which is currently being appealed, accused Trump and his company of years-long efforts to manipulate the value of assets for financial gain. It has placed James at the heart of Trump’s legal battles and made her a target for sustained criticism by the president.

As The New York Post has previously reported, Trump has railed against James in public statements and on social media, accusing her of political persecution and labeling her a “radical left attorney general.” However, the escalation to a criminal investigation marks a stunning reversal: from chief prosecutor to possible federal defendant.

Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic strategist, told The New York Post that James’ defiant tone signals not only her awareness of the gravity of the situation but her intent to galvanize political support.

“She’s doing whatever she can to alert people who support her that the future does not look good, and they should be aware,” Sheinkopf said. “It makes them ready to fight, and she’s gonna do whatever she can to beat whatever it is it might be.”

He noted that James’ rhetorical shift—blaming Trump directly for the surveillance and likening the investigation to political vendetta—suggests she is “prepared to mount a political defense as well as probably a legal defense.”

Indeed, James’ silence through a spokesperson on further details—such as what social media posts she was referencing or whether she filed official complaints—only adds to the intrigue, as The New York Post pointed out in its analysis of the rally.

The stakes could not be higher. If the Department of Justice finds grounds to prosecute, James could become the first sitting New York Attorney General in recent memory to face criminal charges. Simultaneously, the case threatens to further polarize an already volatile political landscape where law enforcement officials themselves are increasingly drawn into partisan warfare.

For now, the DOJ and the White House have declined to comment, and James has not publicly addressed the investigation outside of her rally remarks. But the narrative battle is clearly underway.

The showdown between Letitia James and Donald Trump has taken a dramatic new turn—one that could alter not just their legacies, but the balance of political accountability in America’s most populous city.