Deleted email details alleged Trump-targeting push inside Letitia James’ office: ‘Find and pursue crimes’

A New York prosecutor accused state Attorney General Letitia James’ office of directing employees to "find and pursue crimes" involving President Donald Trump and entities tied to him, according to a report.

The allegation stems from an email sent by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Wiesenfeld, who works in the Investor Protection Bureau of the New York Office of the Attorney General, which is led by Shamiso Maswoswe, the Times Union reported. The email was allegedly later wiped from the office’s servers, according to the outlet, while James’ office dismissed the matter as a personnel issue and rejected claims that the office was targeting people based on political beliefs.

Wiesenfeld alleged that Maswoswe directed him to target "Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger)… without having a credible reason for targeting [these] organizations and individuals," according to the Times Union.

Maswoswe previously worked as a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section from January 2016 until her termination in December 2017, under Trump's first term. In February 2021, she filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Justice Department, alleging she was unfairly terminated and subjected to discrimination based on her race, pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities.

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Wiesenfeld reportedly sent an agency-wide email to colleagues Friday with instructions "to find and pursue crimes committed by specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Donald Trump," the Times Union reported.

The email reportedly was then allegedly wiped from servers, with a subsequent email sent from James' general counsel, Kumiki Gibson, informing employees that it was an "internal" matter and no employees were "in danger," the Times Union reported.

"This is a personnel matter. The Office of the Attorney General is committed to upholding New York’s laws and protecting the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers, regardless of political beliefs. We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary," a spokesperson for the Office of the New York Attorney General told Fox News Digital.

The New York Post reported Wiesenfeld was placed on paid administrative leave.

"This is more proof of the weaponization of the justice system by Letitia James to target President Trump and her political opponents. The far-left Democrats lawfare against President Trump, his family, and allies must stop," White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.

Before Maswoswe joined James’ office in February 2022, she filed a discrimination suit against the DOJ.

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She filed a complaint in February 2021 alleging she was unfairly fired during the Trump administration in 2017 and discriminated against for being Black and having a child.

Maswoswe accused the DOJ of race discrimination due to her Zimbabwean descent and was scrutinized over her pregnancy, breastfeeding and caregiving responsibilities – seeking reinstatement, back pay and damages, according to court docs.

In 2023, the two parties reached a settlement with Maswoswe, awarding her $795,000 to resolve all claims related to her employment and lawsuit. 

DOJ expressly denied that Maswoswe’s claim were true and the agreement says the payment was a compromise of disputed claims – not an admission that discrimination or retaliation occurred.

James has been a longtime critic and legal adversary of Trump, launching a civil fraud lawsuit against him and the Trump Organization in 2022 after campaigning on investigating his business practices.

The case initially resulted in more than $450 million in penalties, though an appeals court later upheld Trump’s liability while voiding the financial penalty.