A prosecutor in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office says his supervisor, Shamiso Maswoswe, directed him to investigate President Donald Trump and organizations linked to him without sufficient evidence, raising questions about the office’s political independence.
Daniel Wiesenfeld, an assistant attorney general assigned to the Investor Protection Bureau, made the allegations in an email sent Friday to hundreds of colleagues.
According to the Times Union, Wiesenfeld said he was instructed to “find and pursue crimes” involving individuals and organizations connected to Trump.
Wiesenfeld specifically cited Trump, Truth Social and Hewlett Packard, which he said was being targeted despite a merger having received approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. He questioned whether the investigations had sufficient evidence to justify the use of state resources.
The email was quickly deleted from state computer servers and reportedly disappeared from the inboxes of more than 2,000 employees.
James’ general counsel subsequently told staff that the matter was internal and that employees were not in danger.
Wiesenfeld was later placed on paid administrative leave.
James’ office has rejected the allegations, describing the matter as a personnel issue rather than evidence of politically motivated investigations.
The controversy comes after years of legal battles between James and Trump. James campaigned on investigating Trump’s business practices and later brought a major civil fraud case against him.
A trial judge originally imposed a penalty of roughly $450 million, though an appeals court later overturned the financial penalty while leaving other findings in place.
Wiesenfeld’s allegations are likely to intensify political scrutiny of James as she seeks another term as attorney general and faces criticism from Trump and Republican opponents, who have accused her of using her office to pursue political adversaries.
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