Ed Martin, who leads the Trump Justice Department’s investigations into government weaponization and serves as special counsel in the mortgage fraud probes targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), has warned James that the inquiry will intensify after she rejected what he described as his olive branch.
Just four days after his appointment as special counsel, Martin sent James a letter urging her to resign as an “act of good faith.” He then visited her Brooklyn residential property — a key focus of the investigation — to conduct a personal inspection.
In the letter, dated August 12, Martin told James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, that her resignation would serve the “good of the state and nation.” He added that stepping down would effectively end the probe into alleged mortgage fraud tied to her Brooklyn property and another home in Virginia, according to the New York Post.
“Her resignation from office would give the people of New York and America more peace than proceeding,” the special counsel wrote. “I would take this as an act of good faith.”
Lowell — whose substantial legal fees are being covered by New York taxpayers — responded to Martin’s letter on Monday by accusing him of breaching the Justice Department’s ethical standards.
Lowell responded that the DOJ “has firm policies against using investigations and against using prosecutorial power for achieving political ends,” adding, “This is ever more the case when that demand is made to seek political revenge against a public official in the opposite party.”
There is no indication that Martin’s offer was politically motivated or anything other than an attempt to give James a way out of her predicament before potential charges would be filed.
“Let me be clear: that will not happen here,” Lowell added, also claiming that Martin staged a “for-media” stunt outside James’ home and claimed the inspection violated Justice Department rules.
A week after being appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead mortgage fraud investigations into Schiff and James, Martin visited the Clinton Hill brownstone. Meanwhile, grand juries in Virginia and Maryland are considering criminal indictments against both Democrats over allegations they misrepresented property values to secure more favorable loan terms.
James’ Brooklyn property at 296 Lafayette Avenue is officially registered as a five-unit dwelling, but she is accused of misrepresenting it on mortgage applications, building permits, and government assistance filings by consistently listing it as a four-unit building.