The name Letitia James came to international prominence surrounding allegations that former President Donald J. Trump, his organisation and children have been defrauding New York State. Political and legal watchers, who did not know Ms. James or her record, started paying attention to her every word.
But who is Ms. Letitia James, the public figure, her scope of responsibilities and achievements?
Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York. With decades of work, she is an experienced attorney and public servant with a long record of accomplishments. She is the first woman of colour to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General.
In 2013, Ms. James was elected Public Advocate for the City of New York and became the first woman of colour to hold citywide office. As Public Advocate, Ms. James served as a watchdog over New York City government agencies and as an advocate for the City’s most vulnerable communities. She transformed the Public Advocate’s office to be a formidable engine for change.
Her office handled over 32,000 constituent complaints and passed more legislation than all previous Public Advocates combined, including a groundbreaking law that banned questions about salary history from the employment process to address the pervasive gender wage gap.
Ms. James successfully took on the gun industry by pushing New York City’s largest pension fund to divest from gun and ammunition retailers. She fought in court on behalf of children and families on issues including children in foster care, children with disabilities, and tenant protection. New Yorkers overwhelmingly elected Tish James to a second term as Public Advocate in November 2017.
Prior to serving as Public Advocate, Tish James represented the 35th Council District in Brooklyn in the New York City Council for ten years. As a Council Member, she passed the Safe Housing Act, legislation that forced landlords to improve living conditions for tenants in New York City’s worst buildings. She helped uncover the corruption behind the Office of Payroll Administration’s CityTime contract, a scheme that cost New York City over $600 million. She also pushed through a revolutionary recycling package that included expanding plastic recycling, a new clothing and textile recycling program, and increased access to recycling in public spaces.
Before her election to the City Council, Tish James served as head of the Brooklyn Regional Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. She resolved hundreds of consumer complaints and investigated predatory lenders who preyed on first-time homebuyers. She assisted the Civil Rights Bureau in its investigation of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy and cracked down on firms engaged in deceptive business practices including violations of human rights, environmental laws, and scams targeting immigrants.
On Thursday James landed a victory from the court to grant her motion of preliminary injunction that seeks to stop ongoing fraud, prevent Trump from moving assets to evade liability, and appoint a monitor to oversee financial disclosures. The Supreme Court of the State of New York granted James’ request that former President Donald Trump’s business empire be overseen by an independent monitor.
Last September, after a three-year investigation, James’ Office filed a sweeping lawsuit (220-page) accusing Donald J. Trump, his family business and three of his children of lying to lenders and insurers by fraudulently overvaluing his assets by billions of dollars. Her office is seeking to have the court bar the Trumps, including Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, from ever running a business in the state again.
Trump, on Wednesday, filed a lawsuit in Florida to stop Ms. James’ lawsuit in New York, a decision that has split support among his legal team. (Source: internet)
