{"id":19773,"date":"2025-10-25T17:09:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T17:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=19773"},"modified":"2025-10-25T17:09:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T17:09:34","slug":"letitia-james-channels-mlk-in-speech-after-appearing-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=19773","title":{"rendered":"Letitia James Channels MLK In Speech After Appearing In Court"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty Friday to two federal charges related to her purchase of a Virginia property more than five years ago.<\/p>\n

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James, appearing upbeat as she entered the courtroom in Norfolk, Va., spoke briefly during the arraignment before U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker. When asked if she understood her rights, the 67-year-old Democrat replied, \u201cYes,\u201d and later responded, \u201cNot guilty, judge, to both counts,\u201d when prompted by her attorney, Abbe Lowell.<\/p>\n

Following the hearing, James delivered short public remarks outside the courthouse, pledging to \u201cnot be deterred\u201d as she faces the federal case. In her statement, she invoked elements of Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s iconic \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech, drawing attention from onlookers and critics alike,\u00a0the New York Post reported<\/a>\u00a0on Friday.<\/p>\n

James did not directly address the charges or proclaim her innocence.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI believe that justice will rain down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream,\u201d she told supporters who chanted \u201cWe Stand With Tish!\u201d and \u201cNo Fear!\u201d \u2014 a conscious reference to MLK\u2019s line: \u201cWe will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.\u201d<\/p>\n

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James was indicted on October 9 by a federal grand jury on one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution. The charges were filed by interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan.<\/p>\n

If convicted on both counts, the New York attorney general could face a maximum sentence of 60 years in federal prison and fines totaling up to $2 million, The Post noted.<\/p>\n

According to court filings, the long-time Donald Trump nemesis purchased a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home on Peronne Avenue in Norfolk, on August 17, 2020, using a $109,600 loan. The mortgage documents included a second-home rider identifying James as the \u201csole borrower to occupy and use the property.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Prosecutors allege that this statement enabled James to secure more favorable loan terms, providing her with an estimated financial benefit of nearly $19,000.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors allege that James never lived in the Norfolk property, claiming instead that it was used as a rental investment home for her grandniece, Nakia Thompson.<\/p>\n

During Friday\u2019s 30-minute hearing, both James and Lowell responded confidently to procedural questions from U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker, a Biden appointee. The judge released James on a personal recognizance bond and scheduled her trial to begin on January 26, 2026.<\/p>\n

Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Keller, who was transferred from the Eastern District of Missouri to lead the prosecution, told the court that the government plans to call up to 10 witnesses.<\/p>\n

James\u2019s defense team has already indicated plans to challenge the case on procedural grounds, arguing in court filings that Halligan was unlawfully appointed by President Trump following the resignation of former Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney Erik Seibert.<\/p>\n

Some defense attorneys are expected to argue that the case represents a \u201cvindictive prosecution,\u201d citing Halligan\u2019s previous role as an attorney for Trump. They also claim Halligan improperly communicated with members of the media during the investigation.<\/p>\n

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During the hearing, Lowell drew Walker\u2019s attention to a Lawfare article published Monday, suggesting it raised concerns about Halligan making \u201cextrajudicial statements\u201d to the press. Lowell stopped short of seeking sanctions but noted the potential ethical issue.<\/p>\n

According to filings, Halligan contacted Lawfare senior editor Anna Bower to dispute aspects of a New York Times report stating that James\u2019s grandniece, Nakia Thompson, had testified before a grand jury that she never paid rent on the Norfolk property and that James visited several times a year.<\/p>\n

Lowell and Keller later sparred over the defense\u2019s assertion that Halligan was required to maintain a record of all communications with the media.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re going to do one for the government,\u201d Keller suggested, one should also be kept for James \u2014 who has frequently defended herself on social media and in the press.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Getty Images This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion. New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty Friday to two federal charges related to her purchase … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19775,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19773\/revisions\/19775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}