New York's Attorney General Letitia James is fighting subpoenas from Trump-picked prosecutor John Sarcone, who personally requested them as part of an investigation into cases brought by James against the president's businesses and the National Rifle Association.
Documents show that Sarcone signed a letter accompanying the subpoenas, listing himself as the point of contact for the request. However, lawyers for James argue that this personal involvement makes the subpoenas invalid because Sarcone's appointment as interim U.S. attorney had expired three weeks before they were sent. The Trump administration claims that Sarcone is still legally allowed to execute the duties of the office.
The case is part of a larger clash between the Trump Department of Justice and critics who have been indicted or investigated by Trump's personal lawyers with no prior prosecutorial experience. A judge in Virginia heard arguments Thursday about the validity of indictments brought by acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan against James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Halligan personally presented a case to a grand jury, which records show was done after Trump said he fired her predecessor for failing to bring cases against James and Comey. The New York attorney general says this is politically motivated.
James had previously sued Trump and his business over falsely inflating the value of his properties, with a judge fining Trump more than $350 million. A separate case centered on inappropriate spending by executives at the gun rights group.
Sarcone's subpoenas sought records to examine whether James' cases against the NRA and Trump were examples of selective prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Belliss argued that there was ample evidence to pursue the matter, citing public statements from James promising to target President Trump and the NRA for adverse legal action as his primary motive.
However, outside lawyers representing James' office called the subpoenas "a bad faith attempt to harass Mr. Trump's critics." They also challenged Sarcone's authority on the basis of his appointment, pointing out that he was never nominated for confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Sarcone is a former lawyer for Trump's campaign and was appointed as an interim U.S. attorney by Attorney General Pam Bondi at the end of February. When the interim period lapsed in July, judges declined to permanently install Sarcone as the full U.S. attorney, instead designating him as a special attorney and first assistant U.S. attorney.
James' lawyers argued that this was an "end run" around the law, claiming that Sarcone had no legitimate authority to serve as acting U.S. attorney. However, Belliss argued that Sarcone had the lawful authority to seek the subpoenas in both capacities.
Documents show that Sarcone signed a letter accompanying the subpoenas, listing himself as the point of contact for the request. However, lawyers for James argue that this personal involvement makes the subpoenas invalid because Sarcone's appointment as interim U.S. attorney had expired three weeks before they were sent. The Trump administration claims that Sarcone is still legally allowed to execute the duties of the office.
The case is part of a larger clash between the Trump Department of Justice and critics who have been indicted or investigated by Trump's personal lawyers with no prior prosecutorial experience. A judge in Virginia heard arguments Thursday about the validity of indictments brought by acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan against James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Halligan personally presented a case to a grand jury, which records show was done after Trump said he fired her predecessor for failing to bring cases against James and Comey. The New York attorney general says this is politically motivated.
James had previously sued Trump and his business over falsely inflating the value of his properties, with a judge fining Trump more than $350 million. A separate case centered on inappropriate spending by executives at the gun rights group.
Sarcone's subpoenas sought records to examine whether James' cases against the NRA and Trump were examples of selective prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Belliss argued that there was ample evidence to pursue the matter, citing public statements from James promising to target President Trump and the NRA for adverse legal action as his primary motive.
However, outside lawyers representing James' office called the subpoenas "a bad faith attempt to harass Mr. Trump's critics." They also challenged Sarcone's authority on the basis of his appointment, pointing out that he was never nominated for confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Sarcone is a former lawyer for Trump's campaign and was appointed as an interim U.S. attorney by Attorney General Pam Bondi at the end of February. When the interim period lapsed in July, judges declined to permanently install Sarcone as the full U.S. attorney, instead designating him as a special attorney and first assistant U.S. attorney.
James' lawyers argued that this was an "end run" around the law, claiming that Sarcone had no legitimate authority to serve as acting U.S. attorney. However, Belliss argued that Sarcone had the lawful authority to seek the subpoenas in both capacities.
... Sarcone's involvement is getting all weird with his expired appointment and now he's trying to pull this "I'm still acting U.S. attorney" card 
... meanwhile, James' cases against Trump and the NRA were about holding them accountable for some pretty shady stuff 
... can't help but think there's a lot of politics at play here 
... all these subpoenas and investigations are just a way to harass critics like James 
... it's getting to be the case that the DOJ is more focused on protecting Trump than actually doing its job 
. It's like, what even is going on here? One minute you're an acting US Attorney and the next you're getting full power, but not really 
. I mean, if Sarcone was never confirmed by the Senate, does that mean he's just making it up as he goes along? 
And what about James' lawsuits against Trump and the NRA? Wasn't there some court ruling about her not being able to target them specifically? It all seems like a big mess, with nobody really in charge 
Anyway Sarcone's all "oh I can still do my job" but nope not on ur life John! 
Sarcone signing those subpoenas as the point of contact already raises red flags, but now it's like he's trying to make himself the point of contact even after his appointment as interim U.S. attorney had expired 
. And what's with Sarcone trying to justify his actions by pointing out that he has the lawful authority to seek subpoenas? Isn't that just a cop-out? 
I can imagine how frustrating this whole situation must be for Letitia James and her team... Like, they're already dealing with so much stress and pressure from Trump's businesses and the NRA, and now these subpoenas come out of nowhere? It's like, what's the point of even having a justice department if someone's just going to use it as a tool for harassment? 
. I mean what's next? He's gonna try to subpoena Biden too? 
. This whole thing just shows how desperate Trump is to silence his critics and cover up his own wrongdoing. The man needs to be held accountable 
.
I don't get why John Sarcone is trying to serve as the point of contact for these subpoenas when his appointment had already expired. It sounds like he's trying to cover his own tracks or something... 
I need more info on all this before I can even begin to form an opinion! 
.
It just doesn't add up.
. As a parent, I've seen my fair share of kids trying to find loopholes and get out of consequences 
. And what's up with the grand jury presentation in Virginia? That sounds super fishy 
, not some rigged system that lets the powerful play by different rules 
.
what's next??
It just feels like they're trying to bully AG James into backing down. And with Sarcone's past as Trump's lawyer... it's no wonder the docs say his appointment expired. He doesn't have any legit authority to be going after her like this. I get that the Trump DOJ is mad, but come on, can't we just follow the rules and play by the book?