A prosecutor in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office is making explosive claims that he was directed to go after allies of President Donald Trump, according to a Friday report from the Times Union.
Assistant Attorney General Daniel Wiesenfeld reportedly sent an agency-wide email Friday alleging that James’ office instructed him “to find and pursue crimes committed by specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Donald Trump,” the Times Union reported.
According to the outlet, Wiesenfeld claimed that Investor Protection Bureau chief Shamiso Maswoswe specifically ordered him to target the president and his social media platform, Truth Social, “without having a credible reason for targeting this organizations and individuals [sic].”
The email reportedly didn’t stay up for long — it was “quickly deleted” from the office’s email servers. A follow-up message was then sent by Kumiki Gibson, James’ general counsel, characterizing the situation as strictly an “internal” matter, according to the Times Union.
Wiesenfeld has since been placed on unpaid administrative leave, James’ office confirmed to the Times Union. In a statement to the outlet, the office said, “The office of the attorney general is committed to upholding New York’s laws and protecting the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers, regardless of political beliefs.” The prosecutor also reportedly accused James of using “significant public taxpayer dollars to target convenient public enemies.”
When reached by The Daily Caller, the Attorney General’s Office offered a similar response, calling it “a personnel matter” and stating, “The Office of the Attorney General is committed to upholding New York’s laws and protecting the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers, regardless of political beliefs. We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary.”
The allegations add to James’ long, contentious history with Trump. The attorney general made the president a central focus of her 2018 campaign, vowing at the time that her office would “hold those in power accountable.” In a 2018 tweet, James wrote, “Nobody is above the law, not even [Donald Trump].”
Trump has not held back in his criticism of James either, firing off a 2018 tweet accusing her of doing “little else but rant, rave & politic” against him.
The latest claims from within James’ own office threaten to reignite scrutiny over whether her pursuit of Trump-related cases has been driven by genuine legal concerns or political motivations, a question that has followed her since she first took aim at the president on the campaign trail years ago.
[READ MORE: New York AG Lawyer Says Office Targeted Trump Allies, Then Looked for Crimes]
