What to know
- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Ed Martin to lead investigations into alleged mortgage fraud by New York AG Letitia James and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff.
- James is accused of falsifying loan documents and misrepresenting property details; Schiff allegedly claimed a Maryland home as his primary residence while serving in California.
- Both deny wrongdoing and call the probes political, despite past involvement in high-profile cases against former President Trump.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has named Ed Martin as special prosecutor to oversee federal cases involving New York Attorney General Letitia James and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff. Both Democrats face allegations of misrepresenting their residences to obtain more favorable mortgage terms.
Bondi told Fox News that the appointment was intended to avoid “any appearance of political animus” influencing judicial proceedings. The announcement came as a grand jury convened to consider charges against James following a referral from federal mortgage authorities.
According to ABC News, documents tied to James show she may have listed her father as her husband to qualify for better loan rates and undercounted units in a Brooklyn property, potentially sidestepping costly safety requirements. Schiff’s case involves a Maryland home he purchased in 2009 but did not declare as a secondary residence until 2021, despite representing California in Congress during that time.
Both officials strongly reject the accusations. James’ spokesperson warned that “any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American,” while her attorney Abbe D. Lowell called the subpoenas “improper” and accused the administration of political retaliation for her successful litigation against Trump and the NRA.
Schiff’s lawyer, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, labeled the claims “false, stale, and long debunked,” criticizing Martin as “a January 6-defending lawyer” engaged in politically motivated investigations.
Martin previously led the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group and was a Trump nominee for U.S. Attorney in D.C., a nomination later withdrawn amid Republican concerns about his limited prosecutorial experience. He is now tasked with overseeing both the James and Schiff probes, which remain under investigation.
