The language of the new budget bill for votes late Wednesday evening allowed New York taxpayers to be on hook for the legal costs of State Attorney General Letia James in a fraud case brought against her by the Trump administration.
Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued her proposal last week, proposing a $254 billion budget, and the state legislature is expected to start voting for it this week. On Wednesday evening, Congressional Republicans and Democrats will vote for a draft budgetary state-running division.
That section includes language that forces taxpayers to fund legal defense funds, according to a draft copy provided to Fox News Digital by state Republicans.
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President Donald Trump and Letitia James (AP/Getty)
The draft, compiled by Democrat-controlled administrative departments, Senate majority, and Congressional majority, set aside $10 million for state elected officials to use in legal defense if the case directly addresses the exercise of duties.
James’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, acquired for her from the New York State Attorney General’s office, characterized the Trump administration’s mortgage fraud claims as “political retaliation” against James and “political retaliation” for her decision to forge Donald Trump to acquire business documents.
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The New York State Attorney General’s office hired a powerful political attorney, Abbe Lowell, to represent Letia James against the allegations of fraud. (AP/Reuters/Fox News)
State officials are permitted to use money from the Legal Defense Fund if civil servants have previously interacted with U.S. government officials, according to documents in the New York Operations Budget Bill. There is an additional standard that also applies to James, especially considering her previous lawsuit brought against Trump, which led to the US president’s first felony conviction.
The source that provided the Operations Budget Draft Language said it should be published Wednesday.
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“Donald Trump promised a vicious revenge tour when he ran in 2024, putting Attorney General James at the top of his list. He is ready to respond to these attacks,” a James spokesman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. The spokesman added that James plans to use both private and public state funds to provide defenses.
Letitia James and Kathy Hochul will pos after a 1199 meeting at the International Union headquarters of service employees. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Lightrocket via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox told the New York Post, “This is what corruption looks like.”
“Political insiders will dig up the system to protect the system while hardworking families are shortened,” Cox denounced in a statement by The New York Post. “Tish James used her office to launch partisan law against her political enemies, and now New Yorkers are putting bills for the outcome.”
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