Tish James got a taste of her own medicine with one move that left Donald Trump grinning

The woman who made a career targeting Donald Trump got dragged into court.

Justice came calling with a vengeance.

And Tish James got a taste of her own medicine with one move that left Donald Trump grinning.

Tish James faces the music in Norfolk federal courthouse

New York Attorney General Letitia James stood before U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker in Norfolk, Virginia on Friday morning to face bank fraud charges.¹

"Not guilty, judge, to both counts," James told the court.²

The charges stem from a 2020 mortgage James obtained to purchase a Norfolk property for $137,000, borrowing $109,600 at a 3% interest rate by claiming the house would be her "secondary residence."³

Federal prosecutors allege James actually used the home as a rental investment property, allowing her great-niece and her children to live there rent-free while James sent money to cover expenses.⁴

That alleged lie saved James approximately $18,933 over the life of the 30-year loan by securing a lower interest rate than investment properties typically receive.⁵

James faces one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution.⁶

Each count carries up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted.⁷

Judge Walker set a trial date for January 26, 2026, with proceedings expected to last about two weeks.⁸

The government plans to call eight to ten witnesses.⁹

James was released on her own recognizance.¹⁰

Democrats built Trump an airtight revenge case

The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

James built her entire career on prosecuting Trump for the exact same type of alleged fraud she now faces.

In 2018, James ran for Attorney General promising to investigate Trump for "defrauding Americans."¹¹

She called him an "illegitimate president" and made destroying Trump her entire platform.¹²

James eventually secured a $450 million civil fraud judgment against Trump in 2024 for allegedly inflating property values on financial statements to obtain favorable loan terms.¹³

The New York judge found Trump deceived banks and insurers about his wealth to secure better rates.¹⁴

That fine was later tossed by an appeals court, though the fraud charge stood.¹⁵

But here’s what Democrats can’t explain away: James allegedly did the exact same thing they claimed Trump did, just on a much smaller scale.

The civil fraud case against Trump centered on misrepresenting property values and usage to banks to get better loan terms.

James stands accused of misrepresenting how she would use a property to get better loan terms.

Trump’s alleged fraud involved hundreds of millions of dollars across multiple properties and decades of business dealings.

James allegedly saved less than $19,000 on a single mortgage.

Yet prosecutors went after Trump with everything they had while career prosecutors in Virginia initially concluded James’s case didn’t merit criminal charges.¹⁶

President Trump publicly called for James’s prosecution after she made destroying him her life’s work.¹⁷

He replaced Virginia U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert with his former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan after Siebert refused to bring charges against James despite White House pressure.¹⁸

That’s after Siebert claimed there wasn’t enough evidence James knowingly committed fraud.¹⁹

Halligan presented the case to the grand jury entirely by herself — an unusual break from Justice Department norms.²⁰

Then she signed James’s indictment.²¹

The swamp rats are squealing about "selective prosecution"

James’s legal team filed a motion challenging the charges as "selective and vindictive prosecution."²²

They also attacked Halligan’s appointment as unlawful, arguing she wasn’t properly appointed as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.²³

That challenge will be heard by an out-of-district judge on November 13.²⁴

James’s lawyer Abbe Lowell called the prosecution "driven by President Trump’s desire for revenge" and an "attack on the rule of law."²⁵

Democrats and their media allies are having a complete meltdown over James facing the same justice system she wielded against Trump.

They held rallies in New York with Governor Kathy Hochul and other prominent Democrats supporting James.²⁶

Outside the Norfolk courthouse on Friday, supporters chanted "we stand with you" as James emerged.²⁷

She told reporters the case represents "a justice system which has been weaponized" and "used as a tool of revenge."²⁸

That’s rich coming from someone who literally ran for office promising to weaponize her authority against a political opponent.

The hypocrisy is stunning even by Democrat standards.

When James prosecuted Trump, Democrats cheered about "accountability" and insisted "no one is above the law."²⁹

Now that she faces criminal charges for allegedly committing fraud herself, suddenly prosecutions are "political retribution" and "weaponization of justice."

Legal experts note the government will have to prove James not only made false statements but did so knowingly — a difficult standard.³⁰

Georgetown Law professor Adam Levitin pointed out prosecutors must convince a jury James "subjectively understood what she was doing," not just what a reasonable person would think.³¹

That’s a much higher bar than the civil fraud standard James used against Trump, which didn’t require proving he intended to defraud anyone.³²

Trump is finally getting justice after Democrats spent years persecuting him through lawfare.

James made her bed when she promised to destroy Trump no matter what laws she had to bend to do it.

Now she gets to sleep in it.

¹ NBC News, "New York Attorney General Letitia James pleads not guilty in federal bank fraud case," October 24, 2025.

² Ibid.

³ CNN Politics, "Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department," October 9, 2025.

⁴ ABC News, "New York AG Letitia James pleads not guilty to mortgage fraud charges," October 24, 2025.

⁵ NBC News, "Grand jury indicts N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump opponent, on bank fraud charges," October 9, 2025.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ CBS News, "N.Y. AG Letitia James pleads not guilty to bank fraud charges in federal court," October 24, 2025.

⁹ Ibid.

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ FactCheck.org, "Appraising the Federal Indictment of Letitia James," October 17, 2025.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Attorney General James press release, "Attorney General James Wins Landmark Victory in Case Against Donald Trump," February 16, 2024.

¹⁴ FactCheck.org, "Appraising the Federal Indictment of Letitia James," October 17, 2025.

¹⁵ The Hill, "Trump civil fraud case casts shadow on Letitia James indictment," October 9, 2025.

¹⁶ ABC News, "New York AG Letitia James indicted for alleged fraud following pressure from Trump," October 9, 2025.

¹⁷ CNN Politics, "What to know about the Letitia James case and what happens next," October 10, 2025.

¹⁸ CBS News, "Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former defense lawyer, sworn in as interim U.S. attorney in key Virginia office," September 22, 2025.

¹⁹ ABC News, "New York AG Letitia James indicted for alleged fraud following pressure from Trump," October 9, 2025.

²⁰ CNN Politics, "Lindsey Halligan: DOJ gave Trump’s handpicked US attorney little support to indict Comey. She did it anyway," September 30, 2025.

²¹ CNN Politics, "Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department," October 9, 2025.

²² CBS News, "Letitia James blasts prosecutor in criminal case for ‘unusual and improper’ conversation with journalist," October 23, 2025.

²³ CNN Politics, "NY AG James to ask for her case to be dismissed due to appointment of Lindsey Halligan," October 23, 2025.

²⁴ CBS News, "N.Y. AG Letitia James pleads not guilty to bank fraud charges in federal court," October 24, 2025.

²⁵ ABC News, "New York AG Letitia James indicted for alleged fraud following pressure from Trump," October 9, 2025.

²⁶ ABC7 New York, "Letitia James arraignment: Rally held in NYC’s Foley Square," October 23, 2025.

²⁷ CBS News, "N.Y. AG Letitia James pleads not guilty to bank fraud charges in federal court," October 24, 2025.

²⁸ Ibid.

²⁹ CNN Politics, "Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department," October 9, 2025.

³⁰ The Hill, "Trump civil fraud case casts shadow on Letitia James indictment," October 9, 2025.

³¹ Ibid.

³² Ibid.