If there is one promise Donald Trump intends to keep for his second term, it is to use the judicial system to take revenge on his opponents. After James Comey, the former FBI director, Letitia James became the second public figure in just a few days to be indicted at the direct request of the president of the United States, on Thursday, October 9. The New York attorney general is facing charges of bank fraud and making false statements in a real estate loan application.

James had brought the civil case against Trump in which he was ordered to pay a record sum of $450 million (counting interest) for financial fraud and overvaluation of his assets. The fine was subsequently deemed excessive and overturned by a court of appeal, which nonetheless upheld Trump's civil liability. Trump, who has repeatedly accused James of corruption, had vowed to make her pay if he returned to power.

The case became so personal for the US president that a Virginia prosecutor involved in the investigation suffered the consequences. Erik Siebert, a Republican appointed at the beginning of Trump's term, indicated that after several months of investigation, his office had not gathered sufficient solid evidence against James. That admission of failure was not tolerated at the White House. Siebert was dismissed and, in his place, Lindsey Halligan was appointed on September 22. Halligan, one of the president's attorneys and an insurance law specialist, had never served as a prosecutor before. She then had two weeks to build her case and secure an indictment from a federal grand jury on Thursday.

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