In a week marked by seismic shifts in American politics and international affairs, New York Attorney General Letitia James found herself at the center of a legal and political firestorm. On October 9, 2025, a federal grand jury in Virginia indicted James on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. The indictment alleges that James falsely claimed a home in Norfolk, Virginia, as her second residence to secure favorable loan terms and then rented the property to a family of three. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million per count, according to NBC News.
The charges came after former President Donald Trump publicly called for his Justice Department appointees to pursue legal action against James, who has long been a political adversary. James immediately denounced the allegations, accusing Trump of seeking political retribution. As reported by The New York Times, James’s allies in New York rallied to her defense, with Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, leading the charge. Mamdani accused Trump of employing “fascist tactics” to undermine democracy and described the indictment as “baseless.”
Mamdani’s support for James was not just vocal but highly visible. He stood alongside other prominent Democrats, including Representative Nydia Velázquez, at rallies and news conferences outside Manhattan’s federal courthouse, leading chants of “hands off Tish.” His defense of James also served as a pointed contrast to former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who initially condemned Trump’s tactics without mentioning James by name—a move many saw as evidence of lingering bitterness from James’s investigation into Cuomo’s alleged misconduct, which led to his resignation. Cuomo later issued a second statement, this time including James’s name and emphasizing that “weaponization” of the justice system is wrong, regardless of political party.
The political drama unfolded against the backdrop of a historic ceasefire in Gaza. On October 10, 2025, Israel announced the beginning of a ceasefire following a deal to end the devastating conflict sparked by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023. The agreement, as detailed by NBC News, includes the release by Hamas of all living and dead hostages, while Israel will release 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Palestinians detained after the October 2023 attack. President Trump announced plans to travel to Egypt for the official signing of the ceasefire agreement, underscoring the international significance of the moment.
The ceasefire deal also requires Hamas to lay down arms, Israeli troops to withdraw from the territory, and humanitarian aid to be delivered to the battered enclave. In support of the stabilization process, the U.S. military is preparing to deploy up to 200 troops to Israel, tasked with logistics, transportation, engineering, and planning. However, U.S. officials have made clear that “they will not be in Gaza. No U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” according to NBC News sources familiar with the planning.
Back in the United States, the legal and political battles raged on. In Chicago, U.S. District Judge April Perry issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois. Perry found that the directive violated the Constitution and relied on “unreliable evidence” from the Department of Homeland Security. She criticized the agency’s factual accounts of crime and promised a written decision elaborating on her reasoning.
The indictment against Letitia James drew immediate and widespread condemnation from New York Democrats. Mamdani, in particular, seized the moment to rally support, not just for James but for a broader coalition against Trump’s federal agenda. At a news conference, Mamdani highlighted the importance of city government cooperation with Governor Kathy Hochul and James to resist federal funding cuts threatened by Trump. He cited California’s unified response to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard as a model, pointedly questioning whether Cuomo could ever unite with James and Hochul against Trump. “This is a man who can’t even say Tish James’s name,” Mamdani said, as reported by The New York Times.
The roots of the indictment trace back to allegations published by WhiteCollarFraud.com, a website run by Sam Antar, a convicted former executive. Antar’s mortgage fraud claims against James formed the basis for a criminal referral to the Justice Department in April 2025. Interestingly, the same website has targeted Mamdani, raising questions about his campaign finances, highlighting how both politicians have become fixtures on Trump’s enemies list.
James and Mamdani’s partnership has deepened over the course of the year. While James initially supported Adrienne Adams in the Democratic primary and ranked Mamdani third, she gradually warmed to his candidacy as his campaign gained momentum. Patrick Gaspard, a former Obama aide and friend of James, played a key role in persuading her to see Mamdani’s potential. “She needed to kick the tires and look under the hood of the car to make sure that this 33-year-old who had hardly spent any time in Albany had the goods,” Gaspard told The New York Times.
The turning point came at a Working Families Party rally on June 24, 2025, where James compared Mamdani’s campaign to Barack Obama’s first presidential run, calling it “something bigger than himself.” On primary night, after Mamdani’s victory over Cuomo became clear, James delivered a speech at his watch party, providing a crucial boost for his general election prospects. James, popular in Brooklyn and among African American voters, has since served as both mentor and emissary for Mamdani, helping him reach communities previously out of his campaign’s grasp.
Despite the legal storm, James has remained steadfast, stating, “My office will work closely with a Mamdani administration to protect New Yorkers. I trust Zohran to be a partner in taking on the federal government’s agenda, from his cruel immigration policies, to illegal layoffs and cuts to Head Start and transit grants.” Her support has been especially valuable as Mamdani faces ongoing attacks from Trump, who has falsely labeled him a communist and illegal immigrant, and threatened to strip his citizenship and cut federal funding to New York City if Mamdani becomes mayor.
James’s guidance extended beyond politics to moments of crisis. When a gunman attacked NFL headquarters in Manhattan, James and her team reached out to Mamdani’s staff to ensure they contacted victims’ families, demonstrating the value of her experience in navigating complex situations. Jasmine Gripper, a co-director of the Working Families Party, noted that plans to respond to a potential indictment of James had been in the works for months, with Mamdani now playing a central role. “This is New York and we’re going to fight back and we are going to protect our people,” Gripper said. “Zohran and Tish are our people.”
As the legal and political battles intensify, the partnership between Letitia James and Zohran Mamdani stands as a testament to the resilience of New York’s progressive coalition, even as it faces unprecedented challenges from Washington and beyond.
