New York Attorney General Letitia James suspended her campaign for New York governor on Thursday (Dec. 9) and announced she will run for reelection instead. In a tweeted statement, James, who became New York’s first female and first Black attorney general in 2019, said she wants to stay on board in order to complete her numerous open investigations.
“I have come to the conclusion that I must continue my work as attorney general. There are a number of important investigations and cases that are underway, and I intend to finish the job,” she wrote on Twitter. “I am running for re-election to complete the work New Yorkers elected me to do.”
James announced her campaign for governor back in October. On Thursday, it was also reported that her office is requesting that Donald Trump sit down for a deposition on Jan. 7 as part of James’ ongoing probe into the Trump Organization.
James’ office has been investigating allegations of financial fraud within the company for over two years, which previously yielded criminal charges against its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and two related corporate entities. They pleaded not guilty earlier this year.
In a statement, attorney Ronald Fischetti, who is representing Trump in the investigation, called the probe “purely political” and a “witch hunt.”
“We will wait until we see what they show us in their subpoena and we will respond with our motions,” Fischetti said about James‘ request for a deposition. “This is purely political and he has done nothing wrong and we are not surprised at all.”
Jame also spearheaded the investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, which ultimately led to his resignation this August.
Current Gov. Kathy Hochul, who stepped in after Cuomo’s resignation, remains a front-runner in the 2022 New York gubernatorial race. See James’ tweet below.