New York AG Letitia James gets standing ovation at Mamdani rally in 1st appearance since federal indictment

Letitia James, New York’s indicted attorney general, spoke at a campaign rally for mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in her first public appearance since the Justice Department charged her with bank fraud. 

James, a longtime foe of President Trump, received a standing ovation from thousands of supporters attending the Democratic nominee’s event Monday night at the United Palace Theater in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood. 

James did not mention Mr. Trump by name, but remained defiant in her remarks. 

“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,” James said. “You come for me, you gotta come through all of us.” 

James was indicted on one count of bank fraud and another count of making a false statement, stemming from a house she bought in Virginia. She dismissed the charges as “baseless” shortly after they were announced last week. 

At the rally, James wasted no time appearing to take aim at the president. 

“I won’t give up and I won’t give in. So we have no time to linger and focus on pettiness and revenge. We’ve gotta press on, press forward, continue the journey, claim the victory … and so I fear no man,” she said.

Mamdani, the Queens assemblyman who won the Democratic primary, has been a champion of James since the beginning. 

“For years, you have fought the good fight for New Yorkers, and now it’s our chance to fight for you,” Mamdani said. 

Mamdani maintains a double-digit lead in polling over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, who did not appear on the campaign trail Monday. But all three candidates did release statements Monday praising the Israel-Hamas peace plan and release of hostages. 

A spokesperson for James said her campaign for reelection next year has raised about $1 million since her indictment, mostly from new donors.

James is scheduled to make her first appearance in a Virginia federal court on Oct. 24.