Justice Department opens probes into Letitia James and Adam Schiff

The Trump Justice Department is intensifying its pursuit of some of the president’s most vocal Democratic critics, opening investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff of California.

Both James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California, a long-running Trump critic who led his first impeachment in 2020, have faced accusations that they made false statements on real estate documents.

The US attorney in Albany recently issued two subpoenas in a civil rights investigation into James, people familiar with the matter said. President Trump has repeatedly singled out James for public criticism dating back to when she first launched the civil case against him in 2022. He has accused James of acting with political motivations against him and referred to her as “racist.”

The Justice Department is also investigating James for alleged mortgage fraud. That investigation is being helped by Ed Martin, who serves as head of the Weaponization Working Group at the Department of Justice, as well as the agency’s pardon attorney.

Adam Schiff is also being investigated for mortgage fraud, with a grand jury in Maryland set to investigate the allegations against Schiff. Schiff and James have denied any wrongdoing.

The FBI and Justice Department began its probe of the mortgage fraud allegations against James in the spring. A spokesperson for Schiff did not immediately respond to a request for comment.