{"id":2432587,"date":"2025-05-08T17:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T21:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-quiet-move-means-taxpayers-likely-to-pay-letitia-james-legal-expenses-amid-criminal-probe-report\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T17:58:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T21:58:20","slug":"dems-quiet-move-means-taxpayers-likely-to-pay-letitia-james-legal-expenses-amid-criminal-probe-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-quiet-move-means-taxpayers-likely-to-pay-letitia-james-legal-expenses-amid-criminal-probe-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Dems&#8217; Quiet Move Means Taxpayers Likely to Pay Letitia James&#8217; Legal Expenses Amid Criminal Probe: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdems-quiet-move-means-taxpayers-likely-to-pay-letitia-james-legal-expenses-amid-criminal-probe-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2432587&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent report indicates that New York Attorney General Letitia James may have her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-announces-new-legal-defense-team-for-impeachment-trial\/\" title=\"President Trump announces new legal defense team for impeachment trial\">legal defense<\/a> funded by New York state taxpayers if she faces criminal charges arising from an investigation into her real estate and mortgage dealings. The Albany Times-Union reported that the FBI is investigating James for allegedly falsely claiming a Virginia property as her primary residence while in office. Leaked facts revealed that the state&#8217;s Democrat-controlled budget includes a $10 million legal defense fund for officials facing charges connected to their actions during the Trump administration. Critics, including New York Republican State Commitee Chairman Ed Cox and Representative Elise Stefanik, have condemned the fund as an abuse of power that misuses taxpayer money to protect politically connected individuals. They argue that this initiative not only undermines public trust but also diverts attention from pressing issues facing New Yorkers. The New York Post&#8217;s editorial board echoed these sentiments, asserting that taxpayers should not bear the financial burden of legal defenses for public officials, emphasizing that if James has not committed any wrongdoing, her case should be easily dismissed.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>New York state taxpayers could be on the hook for New York Attorney General Letitia James&rsquo;s legal defense if the investigation against her leads to criminal charges, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesunion.com\/capitol\/article\/fbi-opens-formal-investigation-ny-attorney-20316868.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Albany Times-Union<\/a> reported that the FBI office in Albany is leading an investigation into real estate and mortgage activities that included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/facing-massive-fraud-case-rabid-letitia-james-files-new-suit-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James<\/a> claiming a Virginia home would be her primary residence while she was serving as New York&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-ag-barr-authorizes-federal-prosecutors-to-pursue-substantial-allegations-of-voting-irregularities-before-2020-election-is-certified\/\" title=\"BREAKING: AG Barr Authorizes Federal Prosecutors to Pursue &quot;Substantial Allegations&quot; of Voting Irregularities Before 2020 Election is Certified\">attorney general<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Word of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/jaw-dropper-letitia-james-married-father-according-official-documents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigation<\/a> came shortly after leaks revealed that the state budget being approved by the Democrat-dominated state Legislature includes a $10 million legal defense fund for state officials who face charges from the Trump administration, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/07\/us-news\/taxpayers-could-be-on-hook-for-ny-ag-tish-james-legal-bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The bill is not specific to James. It covers state officials who &ldquo;obtained representation by private counsel in response to any request, summons, command, subpoena, warrant, investigative interview or document request, audit or legally compulsive process&rdquo; started by the Trump administration as a result of their work for the state.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;&#128680;&#128680; BREAKING NEWS: Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats slipped language into their budget that would allow taxpayer funds to be used to defend corrupt Letitia James from the federal investigation into her alleged fraudulent real estate dealings.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ScSZ87Q4Ug\">https:\/\/t.co\/ScSZ87Q4Ug<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EliseStefanik\/status\/1920146757050114305?\">May 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  New York Republican State Committee Chairman Ed Cox said the fund represents an &ldquo;outrageous abuse of power and a slap in the face to every New Yorker.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is what corruption looks like in plain sight: political insiders rigging the system to protect their own, while hardworking families get shortchanged,&rdquo; he said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Tish James used her office to wage partisan lawfare against her political opponents, and now New Yorkers are footing the bill for the consequences,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-elise-stefanik-makes-tim-kaine-look-silly-pretends-democrats-care-border-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elise Stefanik<\/a> of New York also lambasted what she called &ldquo;Democrats&rsquo; Disgraceful Slush Fund&rdquo; in a statement posted on her <a href=\"https:\/\/stefanik.house.gov\/2025\/5\/stefanik-statement-on-kathy-hochul-and-albany-democrats-disgraceful-slush-fund-for-letitia-james-legal-defense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats have reached a new low in their corrupt, far-left agenda by sneaking language into the state budget that misuses hardworking New Yorkers&rsquo; tax dollars to bankroll Letitia James&rsquo; legal defense against serious allegations of mortgage fraud,&rdquo; Stefanik wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Letitia James, who illegally weaponized her office to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pursue politically motivated witch hunts<\/a>, now expects taxpayers to foot the bill for her alleged misconduct. Meanwhile, New Yorkers are crushed by skyrocketing crime, a mass exodus from our state, and a cost-of-living crisis fueled by Hochul&rsquo;s failed policies. Instead of addressing these urgent issues, Albany Democrats are doubling down on shielding their corrupt allies,&rdquo; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This shameful abuse of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-launches-criminal-investigation-into-ny-attorney-general-letitia-james\/\" title=\"... Launches Criminal ... Into NY ... ...\">public funds demands accountability<\/a>. I call on Governor Hochul to immediately remove this provision from the budget and for an independent investigation into James&rsquo; alleged fraud,&rdquo; Stefanik wrote.<\/p>\n<p>In an editorial, the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/07\/opinion\/nix-the-taxpayer-funded-legal-defense-slush-fund-for-letitia-james\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a> editorial board said the fund was wrong on many levels.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is absolutely no reason for taxpayers to have to bail out James. If she didn&rsquo;t do anything wrong, as she claims, then the case should be easily dismissed. And if there is a case, well, didn&rsquo;t she say that no one is above the law? That doesn&rsquo;t mean no one is above legal bills,&rdquo; the editorial said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Bailing out James isn&rsquo;t just offensive on its own. The bill is so broad that it would cover just about any federal investigation of anyone who cashes a state paycheck,&rdquo; the Post wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;James has already established a private legal defense fund to fight possible federal charges, so it&rsquo;s not even clear that she needs a taxpayer bailout here,&rdquo; the Post noted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Does James want to show New Yorkers that she really stands for them? Then she should side with taxpayers and tell lawmakers to forget about this bailout,&rdquo; the editorial said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a recent report, New York taxpayers may be responsible for funding Attorney General Letitia James&#8217;s legal defense if the ongoing investigation results in criminal charges. The Albany Times-Union revealed that the FBI in Albany is investigating real estate and mortgage dealings, including claims by James that a Virginia home was her primary residence while she served as attorney general. This news follows reports of a $10 million legal defense fund included in the state budget for officials facing charges from the Trump administration, as noted by the New York Post. The fund is not exclusive to James; it applies to any state official who has sought private legal representation due to actions initiated by the Trump administration related to their official duties<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2432588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Letitia-James-3.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[38160,3933,54881,32506,8956],"class_list":["post-2432587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-criminal-probe","tag-dems","tag-legal-expenses","tag-letitia-james","tag-taxpayers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Letitia-James-3.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2432587"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2432591,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432587\/revisions\/2432591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2432588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2432587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2432587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2432587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}