Trump gives Tish James her moment

Daily Point

NY attorney general basks in the glow of anti-Trump NYC

State Attorney General Letitia James' speech at a boisterous Manhattan rally for mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani on Monday evening marked a symbolic moment in her electoral career.

It was her first public appearance after she was indicted at President Donald Trump's urging in a questionable case that, most observers agree, appears more likely to bring the Brooklyn Democrat political capital than to succeed in a court of law.

"I know what it feels like to be attacked for just doing your job," James told the crowd. "But I also know what it feels like to overcome adversity. And so, I stand on solid rock. And I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend. I will not capitulate. I will not give in. I will not give up."

There were chants of "We Love Tish."

Between Trump's presidencies, James successfully got a state judge to find Trump liable for fraudulently overstating his net worth for good loan and insurance terms. It was upheld on appeal in August, but minus the massive $515 million financial penalty that the judge imposed. Now, clearly in retaliation, she's accused of a transgression of a far smaller magnitude — of claiming a home in Norfolk, Virginia, was her second residence, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms.

Local political fallout from this indictment has run in her favor. Assemb. Mamdani (D-Astoria) told her in their appearance at the United Palace in Washington Heights: "For years, you have fought the good fight for New Yorkers, and now it's our chance to fight for you."

In the news cycle, the indictment even forced an awkward reaction from Mamdani's mayoral rival former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo — who has accused James of conducting a politically motivated "witch hunt" in the sexual harassment allegations that helped force him out of the governorship in 2021.

Cuomo, without naming James, said in a statement: "The weaponization and politicization of the justice system is wrong no matter which side you are on — period. It is wrong when Trump's DOJ does it or when a Democrat does it, and it must be universally condemned."

The backstory of this limelight moment for the attorney general, who’s expected to seek reelection next year, involves the left flank of the state Democratic Party, represented by the separate but orbital relationship with the Working Families Party.

The WFP's boasted success in the June primary, having pushed many Democrats in its coalition to pick Mamdani for a position on their ranked-choice ballots. For the WFP, and other minor parties, Cuomo has been a nemesis for many years. As governor, he and allies in the legislature made it harder for them to keep a guaranteed ballot status.

The WFP not only survived Cuomo’s governorship but has become a disciplined instrument for democratic socialists to gain clout in the major party — to the chagrin of centrist Democrats like state chairman Jay Jacobs, who firmly refuses to endorse Mamdani.

Long before Mamdani's run, James had a significant history with WFP going back to when it was considered a progressive but not socialistic faction. In 2003, she ran for the City Council from Brooklyn on the Working Families line against that year’s Democratic nominee, Geoffrey Davis, whom she defeated with an eye-popping 77% of the vote. Over the years, she became the city's public advocate and then attorney general, also with the WFP line.

Trump has targeted for attack James and other Black women in elected office — including Fani Willis, the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney whom Trump suggested, in a social media rant last month, should be jailed for what she did to "innocent people." Then there is Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, whom Trump is legally embroiled in trying to fire, citing another mortgage-fraud claim also widely criticized as shaky.

In August, he denounced as crime-ridden the cities of Baltimore, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, New York and Oakland where Black Democrats — three women and three men — are the mayors. None of the cities saw a majority MAGA vote in any of Trump's three elections.

James referenced but didn’t name the president in her Manhattan appearance, saying: "We see powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent and yes, weaponize justice for political gain."

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

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Final Point

Political violence or verbal diatribe?

Islip Town politics overheated Thursday during a meet-the-candidates event in Sayville when Suffolk County Legislature candidate Kelly Perry-Hyland and Islip Town Council candidate DawnMarie Kuhn appeared to grapple over a microphone.

Perry-Hyland, running on the Democratic line, and Kuhn, running on the Republican line, both stood during the event hosted by the combined civic associations of Sayville, Ronkonkoma, Bohemia and Oakdale, to argue and reach for the microphone.

Kuhn is listed as the chair of the Bohemia Civic Association and chief of staff for Perry-Hyland’s opponent, Legis. Anthony Piccirillo.

It didn’t take long for the incident to hit social media.

Islip Town GOP chair Doug Smith shared a screen grab with a caption saying it was political violence. Suffolk Democrat insiders said neither candidate looked good.

“Barely avoiding a physical altercation is just the latest with these two,” one Democratic Party source told The Point.

In a social media post, Smith said Perry-Hyland “got physical” with Kuhn and claimed her supporters at the event called Suffolk police “Nazis.” There was no independent verification that Perry-Hyland supporters made such a remark.

Another Suffolk Democratic Party insider said there was no violence, and the incident was being overblown as a fundraising opportunity for the GOP. 

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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