The opening of a new Department of Justice civil rights investigation into New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, is a dramatic escalation in the confrontation between Ms. James and President Trump.

As part of the probe — now being considered by a grand jury — Ms. James’s office was sent two subpoenas by the acting United States attorney for the Northern District of New York, John Sarcone, whose jurisdiction includes Albany, New York’s state capital. 

One of those subpoenas relates to the $500 million civil fraud verdict that Ms. James secured against Mr. Trump, his two adult sons, and their business. The other subpoena relates to Ms. James’s prosecutorial pursuit of the National Rifle Association.

The investigation, the Gray Lady relates, is exploring whether Ms. James — an elected Democrat — violated Mr. Trump’s civil rights in the pursuit of her fraud case. The presiding judge, Arthur Engoron, found for New York without a trial. He agreed with Ms. James that Mr. Trump’s businesses were marked with “persistent fraud” so significant that it “shocked the conscience.” The case turned on allegations that property values were wildly overvalued to secure better loan terms.

Mr. Trump’s defense team argued that there was no overstatement of values, no victims, and no fraud. The Trump defense also alleged pervasive bias by Judge Engoron and his principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield, who was recently elected, as a Democrat, to a judgeship of her own. It was apparent from the onset of the case that an adverse judgement against the Trumps from Judge Engoron’s bench was likely and that the case would be decided on appeal.

Mr. Trump appealed Judge Engoron’s verdict, and during oral argument the appellate court sounded skeptical of the premises of Ms. James’s case. One jurist categorized the case as a “commercial dispute” and another shared that he found the “immense penalty … troubling.” There has been no ruling, though, more than 300 days after  oral arguments were heard. That is far longer than New York’s appellate courts customarily take to resolve appeals. 

Ms. James and Mr. Trump have locked horns for years, with the prosecutor running for office in 2018 promising to “shine a bright light” into Mr. Trump’s real estate dealings. Now that Mr. Trump has returned to power, he is shining his own bright light on Ms. James. It appears that a grand jury is investigating her for deprivation of rights, a crime that is triggered when someone’s constitutional rights are injured. 

Criminal civil rights violations have long been a tool championed by Democrats to federalize high-profile, racially charged police violence cases that would normally be handled by state prosecutors. Using the civil rights statute against Mr. James would be the latest example of how the Trump justice department is flipping the switch by employing the left’s legal tactics against the left.

In a possible irony the civil rights charge was one of those leveled against Mr. Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith with respect to January 6. Mr. Smith alleged that Mr. Trump deprived Americans of their right to vote by seeking to overturn the results of the election. The case — which could have led to a long prison sentence for Mr. Trump had he been tried and convicted — was eventually dismissed. 

Ms. James’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell — who is being paid, at least in part, by New York taxpayers — issued a statement on Friday calling the investigation and subpoenas “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign.” He adds, “Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is … a dangerous escalation by this administration.”

Ms. James’s case against the NRA, which devastated the once powerful gun rights organization, resulted in some $6.35 million in fines against the organization and a court order that it reform its governance. The association’s erstwhile director, Wayne LaPierre, resigned in disgrace on the eve of the trial — his return is now barred for a decade. Also in 2024, in a separate case, the Supreme Court found unanimously that New York’s policies toward the NRA amounted to a violation of the First Amendment. 

Ms. James, personally, is also facing a separate DOJ criminal investigation into allegations that she — ironies abound — lied on several mortgage documents relating to homes in Virginia and Brooklyn. The criminal referral cites her listing a Norfolk home as her primary residence, misrepresenting the size of a Brooklyn domicile, and listing her father as her husband on another document.

Mr. Lowell, who represents Ms. James in that matter as well, calls those accusations “threadbare,” “cherrypicked,” and part of Mr. Trump’s “revenge tour” against the prosecutor. Mr. Trump has called Ms. James a “crook” and called for her resignation. 

Mr. Sarcone — whom the Times calls “a Trump loyalist” — has had his own share of drama. Originally an interim appointment of Mr. Trump, an extension of his 120-day term was rejected, under a federal statute that has become a flashpoint, by the district judges of upstate New York. Attorney General Pam Bondi, undeterred, named him as her “special assistant,” a sleight of hand that means he can continue serving — and leading the push against Ms. James.