Meet Letitia James, who’s on the verge of taking over the New York state criminal investigation into Donald Trump

| 3:30 pm EDT September 14, 2018
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The State of New York is about to have yet another new Attorney General. After Donald Trump’s longtime nemesis Eric Schneiderman resigned from the position this summer, Barbara Underwood was appointed to take his place. She’s been arguably even more aggressive against Trump, but she made clear from the start that she wouldn’t seek election in November. Now it’s time to get to know Letitia James.

New York City Public Advocate Letitia (Tish) James won yesterday’s Democratic primary race for Attorney General of New York. This means that if she defeats her Republican opponent in November, she’ll assume control of the state’s ongoing criminal investigation into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization. This is crucial for a number of reasons.

First, the state has begun moving particularly aggressively of late with the confirmed help of Michael Cohen, who recently cut a plea deal, and with the possible help of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who recently cut a limited immunity deal. Second, if the state of New York can build criminal cases against Donald Trump’s kids, it can indict and arrest them while he’s still in office, as a way of trying to force him out of office. Third, the mere existence of the New York investigation into the Trump-Russia scandal means that Trump can’t simply pardon his way out of this.

If Tish James wins in November, she’ll be in charge of all of the above. How aggressive will she be against Donald Trump? Her Twitter bio currently says that she’s “Running for NYS Attorney General to fight for our rights, hold the powerful accountable, and take on Trump.” If the Republican candidate wins the race, the New York state investigation into Trump could be shut down entirely. Get to know Tish James, because Trump’s ouster from office now depends heavily on her winning in November. You can find her on Twitter here.