Sherman R. Frederick/Properly Subversive
Would “comeuppance” be the right word?
How about “karma?”
“Just deserts?”
Maybe no better way than the N.Y. Post’s headline: “A Tish Best Served Cold.”
The possibilities are endless with the eye-blinking story swirling about New York Attorney General Letitia James — the poster girl for dirty political lawfare — that could make her the G.O.A.T. of American hypocrites.
James ran for office promising to put Donald Trump in jail and targeted former President Donald Trump for civil fraud. The case had a manufactured feel to it, basically charging Trump for overinflating the value of his properties, which he used to get a loan. The banks did not complain about Trump’s valuations and testified they were happy with the loan they made. they made money and would do it again.
Nevertheless, to the eternal shame of the New York justice system, the Rube Goldberg-ish case ended with a conviction and a crazy $454 million judgment against Trump.
It’s on appeal.
It will get thrown out.
Now comes allegations that while James pursued her allegations against Trump, she falsified her mortgage documents. The Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte sent to the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bond documents that seem to show:
- In 2023, Letitia James bought a house in Virginia. She “falsified” mortgage documents by saying it would be her primary home when she was New York’s AG, which at the time required her to live in New York. The “lie” improved her chances of getting a mortgage at a lower rate.
- Lying on loan applications may be a habit of James. Years before, James and her father co-signed a mortgage swearing themselves to be husband and wife, not father and daughter. Couples are considered less risky because of their joint income.
- In 2001, James got a so-called “conforming Loan” to buy a 5-unit dwelling in Brooklyn. These lower-interest loans are made available for “lower and middle-income borrowers.” Then, in 2011, James applied for a Home Assistance Modification Program for people struggling to keep their heads above water. She swore in documents that she was struggling financially (clearly not the case) and that the dwelling was a 4-unit dwelling, not the 5-unit dwelling it was.
Of course, these are the facts uncovered by the Trump Administration, without a rebuttal defense (other than a denial without evidence) from James. The documents indicate a low level of wrongdoing to me, but felony criminality is another step. Given what she did to Trump over his loan stipulations, would anyone blame him for pursuing this with vigor and without quarter?
I don’t think so.
THE STATE OF MAINE
I find the whole sports transgender thing weird. Boys are boys, and girls are girls. That’s biology. But today, there are a small number of people with significant enough power to create a system where it is allowable to let boys compete against girls, so long as they “identify” as girls.
The Trump Administration has transgender athletes from competition and is suing the State of Maine for defying its federal order.
The federal government is on the side of angels on this one. Maine, on the other hand, has created its own bizarre outcomes.
In February, Katie, formerly known as John, won the Maine’s Class B girls’ track and field championship in pole vaulting.
Look, we can argue the righteousness of Title IX and sex discrimination at length. Take your time. I’m just sayin’ that no one can look at that picture of that pole vaulter in Maine and call it normal.
In the world of sports, ladies and gentlemen, this is not OK. Not even a little bit.
ONE MORE THING
(You can read more from Sherman Frederick each week here on the MCIN website or at shermanfrederick.substack.com.)
