The political agenda of New York Attorney General Letitia James became fodder for disagreement Friday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
James was indicted Thursday on charges related to mortgage fraud.
The Democrat had won her 2018 election on a platform of going after President Donald Trump, as noted by The New York Times. Although she secured a civil fraud conviction against Trump last year, the massive penalty against Trump has been thrown out.
On Friday, Andrew Ross Sorkin said officials at James’s level should be appointed rather than elected to remove politics from the office, according to Mediaite.
If you didn’t complain about this blatant politicization and mocking of the justice system, then please spare me your complaints today. https://t.co/uDWUOqzXjh
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 9, 2025
Co-host Joe Kernen said the argument never came up when James, who has framed the charges as a form of political persecution, was tossing charges at Trump.
“I’m hoping that they can be appointed. I think they should be appointed in these roles,” Sorkin said.
“And hopefully, therefore, then they’re going to be independent. I actually very much dislike the idea that people can run on a — you know, run for a position like this and say, ‘I’m going to go prosecute Donald Trump or I’m going to prosecute anybody else.’ That’s terrible.”
Should NY AG Letitia James go to prison?
“Well, now you’re saying that,” Kernen replied.
“No, I’ve said this my whole life. I think it’s a terrible idea,” Sorkin said.
“I just don’t remember. You know, I’m getting older. I’m getting older. I don’t remember any of that in the last administration,” Kernen remarked.
James has her defenders. On CNN recently, for example, Kasie Hunt said the crime James is accused of committing is something run-of-the-mill Americans do every day.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan saw things differently.
“No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” she said after James was indicted, per a news release.
“The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served,” she said.
James is facing up to 30 years in prison if she should be convicted.
This aged perfectly. https://t.co/T2ZKAL5fHb
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 9, 2025
As noted by NBC, the allegations against James are that she obtained a fixed-rate conventional mortgage at 3 percent interest when she said it was a “secondary residence.”
The indictment claimed that James used the property as a “rental investment property,” which should have had a 3.815 percent rate.
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