The New York Attorney General’s Office has brought in legal heavyweight Abbe Lowell to defend AG Letitia James against mounting fraud accusations.

Lowell’s resume is a who’s who of political drama—he’s represented everyone from Hunter Biden to Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Bob Mendez, and even Bill Clinton. That’s quite the bipartisan client list, though whether that counts as impressive or exhausting probably depends on your view of courtroom chaos.

Curiously, officials clammed up when asked if taxpayer funds are footing the bill for Lowell’s services. So far, no answers on who’s signing those checks, which is always a comforting note to New Yorkers watching their tax dollars do acrobatics behind closed doors.

Interestingly, Lowell isn’t representing James through his big-name law firm Winston & Strawn LLP, but as a private citizen. That’s a twist worthy of its own legal drama.

Meanwhile, William Pulte, director at U.S. Federal Housing, is pressing the Department of Justice to investigate James for allegedly falsifying bank documents to snag better loan terms. When reached for comment, Lowell reportedly hung up—now that’s one way to keep things brief. However, he did send a letter to the DOJ urging them to toss out Pulte's request for prosecution.

According to local reports, James’ office says hiring Lowell was partly a response to what they call a politically motivated criminal referral by the Trump administration. This comes after James led a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump last year, accusing him of inflating asset values for his own loan advantages. The legal world’s version of "he started it!" seems alive and well here.

In his letter to the DOJ, Lowell called the referral "the latest act of improper political retribution" from Trump, arguing that Trump’s complaints about a "politicized" Justice Department ring a bit hollow as he seeks his own DOJ intervention.

Lowell also addressed allegations that James falsely listed a Virginia property as her primary residence while serving in New York. He chalked it up to a paperwork mistake, noting that other documents correctly reflected the property’s status.

As for the second fraud accusation—allegedly inflating the number of livable units in a Brooklyn property—Lowell dismissed it as ignoring current documentation and relying on a certificate of occupancy from 2001. It seems in real estate, as in politics, what’s old is rarely forgotten.

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