Crypto attorney Khurram Dara has launched a Republican bid to unseat New York Attorney General Letitia James, a prominent foe of President Donald Trump, in next year's election.
Dara, 36, kicked off his campaign on Thursday by slamming James for "lawfare" targeting Trump, sweeping regulatory excess, and her hostility toward the crypto industry.
"Lawfare and regulatory overreach are hurting New York's business climate and making the affordability crisis worse," Dara told Crypto In America.
"My goal is to make New York business- and innovation-friendly, not just for digital assets and frontier tech, but for small businesses, too."
James' 2022 civil fraud case accused Trump of inflating asset values, a charge he said was politically motivated lawfare.
The president was found liable and ordered to pay more than $350 million in penalties before an appeals court later upheld Trump's challenge and threw out the massive financial judgment as excessive.
Dara pledges to scale back the AG's aggressive use of the Martin Act — a 100-year-old statute that grants extraordinary prosecutorial power with few limits.
Critics say the law has been routinely weaponized for political ends, he told Crypto In America.
He blasted James, a 20-year fixture in New York politics, for putting "her own political interests ahead of New Yorkers," saying her tactics have chased businesses, innovation, and investment out of the state while fueling today's soaring cost of living.
"I've seen the cost of lawfare firsthand," Dara told Crypto In America.
"It destroys trust in government and drives up the cost of doing business, which means higher prices at a time when New Yorkers are already struggling with a crippling affordability crisis."
James, 67, now seeking a third term, has made headlines with high-profile cases against Trump, the National Rifle Association, and the sexual misconduct investigation that led to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation.
She has also sued leading cryptocurrency firms, according to the New York Post.
Dara would still need to get through a primary against Republican Michael Henry, the GOP's 2022 comptroller nominee who has stayed closely aligned with party leaders statewide, the Post reported.
The AG election is Nov. 3, 2026.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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