New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined 20 other state attorneys general in criticizing a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation of New York Attorney General Letitia James, calling it an abuse of federal power.
“Attorney General James is a dedicated public servant who has always acted in the best interests of the residents of New York,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The Trump Administration, however, has targeted her in a massive abuse of government power. This retribution campaign weaponizes the Justice Department to do President Trump’s bidding and settle personal vendettas. It’s hard to imagine a more disturbing perversion of justice or a more serious threat to the rule of law. I stand with my friend and colleague Tish James against these authoritarian attacks.”
In an open letter released Friday, the coalition denounced what it called “a pattern of harassment and intimidation against Attorney General James.”
“As lawyers, public servants, and defenders of the rule of law, we are deeply alarmed by the efforts of the U.S. Department of Justice to engage the machinery of criminal law enforcement in a campaign of intimidation against New York Attorney General Letitia James,” the letter stated.
The letter argued that the investigation “appears to be motivated by political and personal grudges, rather than any real suspicion of wrongdoing.” It also highlighted the role of Edward R. Martin Jr., director of the DOJ’s “Weaponization Working Group,” who is leading the probe.
“Martin’s antics and actions amount more to those of a showman than to those of a representative of the United States government charged with ensuring that impartiality, integrity, and fairness are the cornerstones of criminal investigation and enforcement,” the attorneys general wrote.
The coalition concluded: “As the attorneys general and chief legal officers of our respective states, we know that the people rely on prosecutorial authorities to wield the power of government to protect the public interest, without fear or favor. Deploying the power of the government in pursuit of personal vendettas, to achieve political ends, or to thwart the enforcement of state law is an abuse of that trust. We call on the Department of Justice to cease its attacks on AG James and other political targets. And we call on others in power to stand up against the Department’s abuses. The wheels of justice must never become a tool of political and personal retribution.”
The DOJ has not responded publicly to the coalition’s allegations.
Down with the democ rats. One by one is what we need. Thank God for President Trump. The decorruptor in chief
You misspelled a word; corrupt doesn’t have a prefix of ‘d’.
This guy and Letitia James are a bunch of pigs (in our term a dovor acher) listen to the recording/video of Letitia James shortly after trump won the election where she openly said she will use the full extent of the law against trump (basically saying straight out she will weponize the justice system against him) and she’s done it in the past as well like we all know. Also how stupid could you be to go after trump once he won did you lose your mind?
Abuse of government power is when civilians are being impacted and their rights curtailed, when the government is working to improve other areas of government that is not an abuse of power, also the President bears the ultimate responsibility for this country and if Ms. James is legally off mark, then Mr. Trump is liable to get blamed, therefore it’s only right for him to seek to correct something which is developing questionably or actually already problematic.
Funny that the NJ AG has something to say when it does not even involve him and is actually outside of the sphere of his jurisdiction or professional duty and still he feels compelled to share his uninvited expertise.
Is this the same NJ AG Platkin who faced impeachment for prosecutorial misconduct on the Rabbi Eisenman case and others?
He had no problems when the the Judiciary system was weaponized against Rabbi Eiseman.
just saying…