A New York prosecutor has accused state Attorney General Letitia James' office of directing employees to target President Donald Trump and entities connected to him, according to a report from the Times Union. The allegation centers on an email sent by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Wiesenfeld, who works in the Investor Protection Bureau of the New York Office of the Attorney General.
Wiesenfeld alleged that his supervisor, Shamiso Maswoswe, instructed him to target «Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger)… without having a credible reason for targeting [these] organizations and individuals.» The email was reportedly sent agency-wide on Friday with instructions «to find and pursue crimes committed by specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Donald Trump,» the Times Union reported.
The email was allegedly later wiped from the office's servers. A subsequent email from James' general counsel, Kumiki Gibson, informed employees that the matter was «internal» and that no employees were «in danger,» according to the outlet. The New York Post reported that Wiesenfeld has been placed on paid administrative leave.
A spokesperson for the Office of the New York Attorney General dismissed the matter, telling Fox News Digital: «This is a personnel matter. 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 White House responded sharply to the allegations. «This is more proof of the weaponization of the justice system by Letitia James to target President Trump and her political opponents. The far-left Democrats lawfare against President Trump, his family, and allies must stop,» White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.
Maswoswe, who leads the bureau where Wiesenfeld works, previously served as a trial attorney in the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section from January 2016 until her termination in December 2017, during Trump's first term. In February 2021, she filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Justice Department, alleging she was unfairly terminated and subjected to discrimination based on her race, pregnancy, and caregiving responsibilities.
Maswoswe accused the DOJ of race discrimination due to her Zimbabwean descent and said she was scrutinized over her pregnancy, breastfeeding, and caregiving duties. She sought reinstatement, back pay, and damages, according to court documents. In 2023, the two parties reached a settlement awarding her $795,000 to resolve all claims related to her employment and lawsuit. The DOJ expressly denied that Maswoswe's claims were true, and the agreement stated the payment was a compromise of disputed claims, not an admission that discrimination or retaliation occurred.
Maswoswe joined James' office in February 2022. James has been a longtime critic and legal adversary of Trump, launching a civil fraud lawsuit against him and the Trump Organization in 2022 after campaigning on investigating his business practices. The case initially resulted in more than $450 million in penalties, though an appeals court later upheld Trump's liability while voiding the financial penalty.