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AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Former New York AG prosecutor alleges pressure to target Trump allies, raising questions about political bias Sun Aug 30 21:38:37 2026

A former prosecutor in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office claims he was told to dig up crimes involving Donald Trump’s allies, fueling accusations from critics that the AG’s office has become a partisan weapon. Daniel Wiesenfeld, who worked in the New York Attorney General’s Investor Protection Bureau, sent a since-deleted email to roughly […] The post Former New York AG prosecutor alleges pressure to target Trump allies, raising questions about political bias appeared first on American Almanac .

A former prosecutor in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office claims he was told to dig up crimes involving Donald Trump’s allies, fueling accusations from critics that the AG’s office has become a partisan weapon. Daniel Wiesenfeld, who worked in the New York Attorney General’s Investor Protection Bureau, sent a since-deleted email to roughly 2,000 staffers alleging he was directed to “find and pursue crimes” involving people and groups tied to Donald Trump, without what he described as a “credible reason for targeting the organizations and individuals.” The email was later removed, and Wiesenfeld was placed on paid administrative leave. Wiesenfeld’s message, described in a New York Post report , specifically named Trump, Truth Social, and Hewlett Packard as targets he was instructed to pursue. The allegations point directly at Shamiso Maswoswe, Chief of the Investor Protection Bureau, for giving those instructions. Wiesenfeld argued that the office was focusing on political enemies, stating, “If you believe Trump is using the [Department of Justice] attorneys to prosecute his enemies and further his political interests, you should find it equally troubling that Tish [James] is doing exactly the same thing.” Wiesenfeld’s email further urged his colleagues, “I ask you that you not serve as Tish’s personal attorneys by targeting her political enemies” and called for the office to “prosecute crimes and find the individuals accountable, rather than targeting individuals and then finding crimes.” He also criticized the use of “significant public taxpayer dollars to target convenient public enemies,” and called attention to “rampant nonprofit homeless shelter fraud and antisemitic crimes in and around synagogues” as issues that deserved more attention from the office. The office of Attorney General Letitia James quickly rejected Wiesenfeld’s allegations. A spokesperson 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. We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary.” The office described the matter as a “personnel issue,” and did not offer further details about Wiesenfeld’s administrative leave. Critics say James’ office is politically motivated The accusations landed in a political climate where James has faced repeated criticism for allegedly using her office to settle political scores. In 2018, during her campaign for attorney general, James vowed to “prosecute the president for crimes committed in New York state” if elected. In 2024, her office won a $360 million civil case against Trump, his sons, and his former company, a case later upheld on appeal, though the large payout did not materialize. State Republican chairman Ed Cox did not mince words in response to Wiesenfeld’s allegations. “Letitia James weaponized the attorney general’s office into a political hit squad and then tried to cover up her tracks,” Cox told the Post. “She is utterly unfit to serve. New Yorkers deserve an attorney general who prosecutes criminals, preserves public records and enforces the law without fear or favor.” Nicole Kiprilov, spokesperson for Republican AG candidate Saritha Komatireddy, echoed those concerns, saying, “When Saritha is attorney general, she will instruct her attorneys to lock up repeat offenders, build residential treatment for the homeless, and root out fraud, not target people because of their politics.” Kiprilov added, “It’s good to see that even the rank-and-file in the AG’s office agree that this is the right way forward. Let’s work together, across partisan lines, and create a safer, more affordable New York.” Allegations highlight concerns about the politicization of law enforcement The Wiesenfeld controversy has reignited longstanding concerns about the impartiality of New York’s top law enforcement office. The deleted email, sent to thousands of staffers, did not just allege a focus on Trump and his company, but also suggested a broader pattern of pursuing “convenient public enemies” for political reasons, rather than directing resources at more pressing public safety issues. Wiesenfeld’s comments called out what he saw as a double standard, pointing to criticisms of the Trump administration’s Department of Justice and arguing the same scrutiny should apply within the AG’s office: “If you believe Trump is using the [Department of Justice] attorneys to prosecute his enemies and further his political interests, you should find it equally troubling that Tish [James] is doing exactly the same thing.” Some unanswered questions remain, including what specific instructions, if any, Letitia James herself gave to Wiesenfeld, and what actions, if any, were taken by Bureau Chief Shamiso Maswoswe beyond what Wiesenfeld described. The full text of the email and its independent authentication were not detailed in the report. The official stated reason for Wiesenfeld’s placement on leave was not disclosed. Paid leave, deleted emails, and the need for public trust The fallout was swift: Wiesenfeld was placed on paid administrative leave and his email was removed from office systems. James’ office insisted it was simply a “personnel matter,” but the sequence raises questions about transparency and priorities inside one of the country’s most high-profile state legal offices. Given the AG’s past campaign promises to pursue Trump and the large-scale civil case her office brought in 2024, these new allegations from within her own ranks will fuel ongoing debates about whether justice is being administered fairly, or at the service of politics. For many New Yorkers, the issue is less about partisan point-scoring and more about whether the law is being enforced without fear or favor, as even James’ critics and rivals agree it should be. When the public sees prosecutors pressured to “find” crimes against political opponents, trust in law enforcement erodes, and justice is too important to risk for anyone’s political ambitions. The post Former New York AG prosecutor alleges pressure to target Trump allies, raising questions about political bias appeared first on American Almanac .