in World News American Backlash: Why the Letitia James Mortgage Fraud Investigation Resonates with Americans
“We’re going to definitely sue him. We’re going to be a real pain in the ass. He’s going to know my name personally,” Letitia James said during her 2018 campaign for New York attorney general.
James campaigned openly on her intention to target President Donald Trump, describing him as an “illegitimate president” and an “embarrassment,” while pledging to pursue all legal avenues to scrutinize his finances and real estate transactions. After being elected, she said, “I look forward to seeing him in court when I assume my new position.”
Upon taking office in 2019, James promptly followed through, filing a lawsuit that ultimately led to a $454 million civil judgment against Trump and his organization for allegedly “overvaluing assets” on mortgage applications – despite industry-standard disclaimers advising lenders to conduct their own valuations.
But despite all of James’ efforts to harm him politically, Donald Trump won the presidency in a landslide in 2024. What happened?
The answer lies not in partisanship, but in principle. Even moderate and apolitical Americans had grown weary of Letitia James antics. They could sense a line had been crossed and that the apparatus of government under James looked more like a political campaign than a public service.
When government power is misused to punish political adversaries, most Americans instinctively see it as a betrayal of the country’s founding spirit. To them, it resembles the tactics of authoritarian regimes – not a free society.
Because America was founded as a democracy on the principles of equal justice under law, the weaponization of government agencies for political gain strikes at the very heart of public trust. Whether it’s law enforcement, the courts, the IRS, or intelligence agencies, their legitimacy rests on absolute neutrality.
The American Revolution itself was born out of resistance to arbitrary rule. Early Americans chafed under the British Crown’s abuses – searches without warrants, taxation without representation, and politically motivated crackdowns.
The Founders designed a constitutional republic with checks and balances precisely to prevent the rise of centralized power that could be wielded against dissenters. That legacy still informs modern civic expectations to this day.