Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said on Newsmax on Wednesday that New York Attorney General Letitia James "should be charged" if the Justice Department finds evidence she committed mortgage fraud related to a Virginia property.
Donalds, a 2026 Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate, said during the interview on "Finnerty" that James must be held accountable if federal investigators uncover evidence of mortgage fraud.
"Well, look, if it's clear that she violated the law and she was committing mortgage fraud, not to mention, as I understand it if you're going to be the New York attorney general, how are you claiming that you live in another state? That just doesn't work," Donalds said.
"And so if all these things pan out to be true, she should be charged," he added. "She was quick to charge Donald Trump, saying that he put fraudulent information on a loan application. Well, that's what she's accused of doing right now."
His comments follow a letter sent by William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to the Justice Department, alleging James may have misrepresented her primary residence when applying for a mortgage on a property in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2023. The letter, obtained by ABC News, claims James listed the Virginia property as her "principal residence" while serving as a statewide official in New York.
James brought a civil fraud case against Trump in 2023, alleging he exaggerated property values, including a widely criticized claim that Mar-a-Lago was worth only $18 million.
"She also accused Donald Trump of saying that Mar-a-Lago is worth $18 million. I mean, we all know that was just stupid and a lie," Donalds said.
"So if they go through their investigation and they find evidence, probable cause, that she was committing mortgage fraud for her own benefit, of course, she should be charged. That's the way our system of justice works.
"It all happened in 2023," Donalds said. "So that's when she falsified these records, allegedly. And that was the same year she put Donald Trump on trial.
"But look, at the end of the day, this is what happens. You have these officials who want to go on these witch hunts while, at the same time, they're doing dirt behind the shadows. It's simply wrong. She should be held accountable like anybody else," he said.
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