CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig sharply criticized Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ “hypocrisy” on Tuesday for condemning political retribution after prosecuting President Donald Trump for political purposes.
James railed against political weaponization in her first public appearance since being indicted for alleged mortgage fraud related to her purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia. Honig stated on “CNN News Central” that James has blatantly participated in political weaponization against Trump despite her warnings that it is being used to “silence truth and punish dissent.”
“To the larger point, John [Berman], there’s quite a bit of hypocrisy at play here. I mean, there’s very little question that Donald Trump has politically targeted Letitia James,” Honig said. “You can see that in Donald Trump’s social media posts, you can see that in the removal and replacement of the prosecutors who did not want to bring these charges. Without a doubt, Letitia James can argue that before trial to try and get this case dismissed. She might well succeed. But let’s also not whitewash history here. Letitia James did essentially the same thing to Donald Trump. She ran for office explicitly targeting him. She fundraised on that. She brought a lawsuit that ultimately was gutted, not quite entirely dismissed, but mostly reversed by a liberal appeals court in New York State.”
“So, they’re both wrong. They both targeted each other and one does not validate the other,” Honig continued.
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James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and the Trump Organization in September 2022, alleging that Trump overinflated his net worth by billions of dollars in exchange for receiving more favorable loans. Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million, including interest, in a February 2024 ruling, though an appeals court later tossed the decision in August 2025.
Honig argued that James should not be speaking publicly about her case because anything she says will be used against her in court. He added that her remarks from Monday night were not specifically relevant to the mortgage fraud case.
A federal grand jury indicted James on allegations of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution related to the purchase of her residence in Virginia. The indictment specifically relates to a $109,600 loan that James secured on Aug. 17, 2020, for the house, which required James to “to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence and prohibited her from sharing ownership or using it as a rental property.
James made her remarks during a campaign event for Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, where she called on her supporters to protect “every norm and every rule of law.” During her speech, the crowd repeatedly cheered, “We love Tish.”
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