House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is calling for the immediate suspension of New York Attorney General Letitia James as James leads the civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump in the Empire State.
In an ethics complaint submitted on Tuesday, Stefanik urged the New York Committee on Professional Standards to conduct an investigation into James’s conduct, citing “highly inappropriate and prejudicial comments on social media” that the top House Republican believes should disqualify James, a Democrat, from the case. The complaint is one of several Stefanik has filed on behalf of the former president as he faces a civil trial and criminal charges in New York, which Trump has decried as being politically motivated.
“As a Representative of New York committed to upholding the integrity of our legal system, I have found New York Attorney General Letitia James’ handling of the investigation and trial of President Donald Trump nothing short of shameful,” Stefanik said in a statement. “It’s been her explicit mission since she announced her run for office to go after President Trump. Such behavior not only undermines the integrity of the legal process but also violates the Rules of Professional Conduct to which James, as a licensed attorney, is bound.”
Stefanik cited at least 50 instances in which James has engaged in a “relentless lawfare campaign” against Trump while spearheading the civil fraud case.
The GOP chairwoman accused James of violating the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which mandates lawyers to “uphold the legal process” by ensuring that “certain taints do not exist” in their work. Stefanik went on to allege that James holds a “personal vendetta” against Trump that “raises serious ethical concerns,” a vendetta Stefanik said James has held since he was first elected president in 2016.
Stefanik referenced protests James held during Trump’s first year in office, including her support of “die-in” demonstrations that the attorney general said symbolized how “we are all being killed by this administration.” The GOP chairwoman also cited comments made by James in 2017, during which James touted her work “leading the resistance against Donald Trump” and vowed to “continue to do so in every way possible.”
Stefanik also accused James of focusing the majority of her campaign as attorney general on an anti-Trump platform that promised investigations into the then-president.
Those actions, as well as others outlined in Stefanik’s 64-page complaint, are evidence that James violated the state rules of conduct, the New York Republican alleged, urging the committee to issue an immediate interim suspension against James and conduct an ethics investigation.
“While all Americans possess the right to express their opinions on matters of public interest, attorneys–particularly state attorneys general–are held to a higher standard due to their unique role as officers of the court,” Stefanik said. “Her conduct not only constitutes a breach of her professional responsibilities but also risks irreparable harm to the public’s already eroding trust in our legal institutions.”
“I urge the Attorney Grievance Committee to immediately conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate disciplinary action, including the immediate interim suspension, disbarment, or suspension of Attorney General James, to uphold the integrity of our legal profession and ensure justice is served impartially,” she added.
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The complaint is the latest development in Trump’s civil fraud case in New York, where James filed a lawsuit against the former president, accusing his family business and his sons of manipulating financial statements and assets to defraud banks and insurers.
Stefanik, a staunch ally of the former president, has repeatedly pushed back against the charges, claiming they are politically motivated and intended to harm Trump’s reelection bid. Stefanik has also recently been rumored to be under consideration to be Trump’s running mate.
