Attorney General Letitia James indictment: NAACP colleagues say they 'stand with her' at state conference
Attendees of the NAACP state conference chant their support for New York State Attorney General Letitia James on Friday in Uniondale. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli led about 200 attendees at the 89th New York NAACP state convention Friday in showing their support of recently indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James by standing on their feet and chanting several times, "hands off Tish."
"Hazel would be the first person to lead the charge to support our great Attorney General Letitia James," DiNapoli said to loud applause, referencing the deceased former longtime president of the NAACP New York State Conference, Hazel N. Dukes.
DiNapoli was speaking at a luncheon during the convention held at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale. James had canceled her scheduled appearance there, said Tracey A. Edwards, the state NAACP's Long Island regional director.
DiNapoli, using James' nickname, said: "You know the truth. The baseless charges against Tish are nothing more than a weaponization of the Justice Department to punish the president’s opponents. It is an outrage." Many in the ballroom applauded loudly.
"I know Tish James. You know Tish James. She is a person of integrity," DiNapoli said. "She makes us proud by doing her job with dedication and passion. She fights for New Yorkers every day, and we will fight for her," he said, prompting more applause and shouts of "Yeah."
"We’re going to stand with Tish James," DiNapoli continued. "She may not be here, but the media’s here. I think we should all stand for Tish James so the media can see how we feel."
DiNapoli urged the crowd to turn and face the media to show their support for James. They did, chanting "hands off Tish" five times.
Officials from the White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond Friday to Newsday's emailed requests for comment about DiNapoli's remarks.
Karen Boykin-Towns, vice chair of the NAACP's national board of directors, said, "We are holding space in our hearts for our dear sister, Attorney General Letitia James," which prompted sustained applause. "Although she could not be with us today, she stands as a living reminder that strength and sisterhood are not solitary. We stand with her."
James was indicted Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on a charge of bank fraud and a charge of making false statements to lending institutions for a property in Norfolk, Virginia.
The five-page indictment alleges that James falsely secured "favorable mortgage terms" while claiming the property was for use as a second home, but instead was renting it out as an investment property.
James denied the allegations in a statement Thursday posted on the attorney general's website, calling the indictment "nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.
"These charges are baseless, and the president's own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost," her statement said.
James' office had prosecuted the Trump Organization, Donald Trump and his two sons in 2022, winning a more than $500 million civil judgment finding Trump overstated real estate assets to secure more favorable terms on loans. An appeals court threw out the fine for being excessive, but upheld the lower court's fraud finding. The state's highest court is still expected to review the matter.
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