A federal prosecutor in Virginia signaled that she might decline to pursue charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, resisting pressure from President Donald Trump, according to an MSNBC report.
Elizabeth Yusi, who oversees major criminal prosecutions in the Norfolk office of the Eastern District of Virginia, told colleagues she sees no probable cause that James engaged in mortgage fraud. Yusi plans to present her conclusion to acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in the coming weeks.
Halligan, a former White House aide and Trump’s personal defense lawyer, replaced Erik Siebert after he resisted seeking fraud charges against James and other cases, including against former FBI Director James Comey.
Shortly after taking the job, Halligan pursued and won Comey’s indictment on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Federal prosecutors in Virginia reportedly expect that Yusi could face dismissal for resisting Trump’s pressure. The president has publicly called on the Justice Department to prosecute James.
On Truth Social, Trump called James “SCUM” and said she should be removed from her New York office, citing what he called “her WITCH HUNT against President Donald J. Trump, and others.”
The Justice Department declined to comment, and the White House did not immediately respond.
The allegations against James originated from a May criminal referral by Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, citing media reports that James falsely claimed a Norfolk, Virginia, home, where her niece lives, as her primary residence to secure a lower mortgage rate.
James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, said James submitted evidence showing she did not make such a claim, noting a power-of-attorney form listed the house incorrectly and James herself marked “no” on the loan application.
Lowell added that James emailed her mortgage broker and said that the house “WILL NOT be my primary residence.”
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