Deleted Email Raises New Questions About Alleged Trump-Targeting Push Inside Letitia James’ Office

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office is facing fresh scrutiny after a prosecutor reportedly sent an agency-wide email accusing officials of directing employees to “find and pursue crimes” involving President Donald Trump and people and organizations associated with him.

The explosive allegations came from Assistant Attorney General Joseph Wiesenfeld, who reportedly sent the message to colleagues Friday before the email was allegedly deleted from the attorney general office’s servers.

According to reports about the internal message, Wiesenfeld alleged that employees were being instructed to investigate specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Trump rather than simply following evidence wherever it led.

The allegation immediately fueled longstanding Republican accusations that James and other Democratic officials have weaponized the justice system against Trump and his political allies.

Wiesenfeld was reportedly placed on paid administrative leave following the incident. The circumstances surrounding that decision and the reported deletion of his email are now attracting additional attention.

After the original message was sent, James’ general counsel, Kumiki Gibson, reportedly circulated another email telling employees that the situation was an internal personnel matter and assuring staff members that they were not in danger.

James’ office strongly rejected suggestions that prosecutors were being improperly directed to target people because of their political affiliations.

“This is a personnel matter,” a spokesperson said, adding that the attorney general’s office is committed to enforcing New York law and protecting New Yorkers regardless of their political beliefs.

The office also “strongly” rejected assertions suggesting otherwise.

The White House seized on the controversy, arguing that the reported email provides additional evidence supporting Trump’s repeated claims that James has used her office to pursue politically motivated investigations.

White House spokesperson Lauren Bis called the allegations further evidence of the “weaponization of the justice system” against Trump, his family and his allies.

James has been one of Trump’s most prominent legal adversaries for years. Her office brought the sweeping civil fraud case against Trump and his business empire that resulted in a massive financial judgment before an appeals court later eliminated the monetary penalty while leaving portions of the underlying ruling intact.

Trump has consistently argued that James targeted him for political reasons, frequently pointing to statements she made while campaigning for attorney general as evidence that she entered office determined to investigate him.

James and her supporters have rejected that characterization, maintaining that her office’s investigations were based on evidence and violations of New York law rather than Trump’s political affiliation.

The newly reported email does not by itself establish that James personally ordered prosecutors to manufacture or pursue baseless criminal cases against Trump or his associates. The allegations remain disputed, and the attorney general’s office has denied politically motivated enforcement.

Still, the language attributed to Wiesenfeld could intensify demands for additional information about how investigations involving Trump and his allies were initiated and managed inside the office.

Questions are also likely to focus on why the email was reportedly removed from government servers, who authorized its deletion and what prompted Wiesenfeld to make the allegations in the first place.

Republicans have spent years investigating what they describe as politically motivated lawfare against Trump, and the latest controversy could provide new ammunition for congressional inquiries or demands for records from James’ office.

For Trump and his allies, the dispute strikes directly at one of their most persistent arguments: that powerful government institutions were deliberately turned against him because of his political identity.

James’ office maintains that characterization is false. But the reported instruction to “find and pursue crimes” involving Trump-affiliated individuals and organizations is certain to keep scrutiny on the attorney general’s office as questions surrounding the deleted email continue to mount.