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A lawyer representing New York Attorney General Letitia James called on the Department of Justice to reject a criminal referral by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte that accused James of mortgage fraud.

The Associated Press reports attorney Abbe Lowell – who was last seen in the news defending Hunter Biden – wrote a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi claiming Pulte had “cherry-picked” evidence relating to mortgage documents signed by James in August 2023 for a Norfolk, Virginia, home that she purchased with her niece. The documents included a two-page power-of-attorney form signed by James that stated, “I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence.”

However, Lowell insisted the form was meant to provide gave James’ niece, Shamice Thompson-Hairston, the authority to sign documents on her behalf because she was not present for the closing. Lowell argued the power-of-attorney form “mistakenly stated the property to be Ms. James’ principal residence,” adding that James sent an email to her mortgage broker two weeks earlier claiming the Virginia property would not be her primary residence. Thompson-Hairston is living at the Norfolk property

Lowell alleged Pulte’s referral was meant to denigrate James, who has brought multiple lawsuits against Trump and his administration and won a $454 million judgment against him last year in a lawsuit claiming he overvalued his assets on financial statements given to banks – Trump is appealing that verdict.

“The stunning hypocrisy of President Trump’s complaint that the Justice Department had been ‘politicized’ and ‘weaponized’ against him is laid bare as he and others in his Administration are now asking you to undertake the very same practice,” Lowell wrote, adding, “We would expect a quick response confirming that this referral matter has been closed.”