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Hero of the Year: New York’s Attorney General Letitia James

Adrienne Lawrence Legal analyst, law professor & award-winning author
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New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million lawsuit against Donald Trump and his children. It accuses them of inflating the value of the family’s real estate assets by billions of dollars to fraudulently obtain loans, insurance coverage and tax benefits. When Donald Trump responded by filing his own lawsuit against the attorney general, James made it clear she has no intentions of backing down. And that is why Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence says she’s naming James as her “Hero of the Year” for 2022.

She is a bad bitch, let me tell you. New York’s AG has been leading the charge in holding Donald Trump accountable. She has been relentless in her civil investigations of the former president, unaffected by his claims of a witch hunt and accusations of anti-white racism. Ms. James has been it when it comes down to it in terms of holding Trump accountable. And why do I care? Well, because justice is an imperative. It’s a hell of a thing living in a purported democracy that claims that justice is blind. 

When you watch everyone with a certain melanin count and set of chromosomes catch a pass, while folks who look like you catch an L, it means a lot to know that there is someone out there who can’t be bought, who takes their oath seriously and is willing to play by the rules to the best of their ability. So I’m here for it. And I’m also here for, you know, James’s securing that recent 17-count conviction against the Trump Organization for tax fraud. That was a beautiful start. 

And I also relish the reality that it’s just the beginning. As they say in Hollywood, representation matters. And as far as I’m concerned, it very much matters everywhere, including in the poor house and in the pen. 

So if someday Mr. Trump no longer has businesses through which he can grift and freedom of movement through which he can enjoy, I think it will come courtesy of the hard work of one Letitia James. 

She gives me faith in the system. God bless her.

This year has been some thing. Now it wasn’t as bad as 2021. But you know, this year has definitely been on the struggle bus. 

Still, I have a hero and a villain worthy of mention.  

My hero. Well, it’s none other than New York Attorney General Letitia James. She is a bad bitch, let me tell you. 

New York’s AG has been leading the charge in holding Donald Trump accountable. She has been relentless in her civil investigations of the former president, unaffected by his claims of a witch hunt and accusations of anti-white racism. Ms. James is been it when it comes down to it in terms of holding Trump accountable. And why do I care? Well, because justice is an imperative. It’s a hell of a thing living in a purported democracy that claims that justice is blind. 

When you watch everyone with a certain melanin count and set of chromosomes catch a pass, while folks who look like you catch an L, it means a lot to know that there is someone out there who can’t be bought, who takes their oath seriously and is willing to play by the rules to the best of their ability. So I’m here for it. And I’m also here for, you know, James’s securing, what that recent 17-count conviction against the Trump Organization for tax fraud. That was a beautiful start. 

And I also relish the reality that it’s just the beginning. As they say in Hollywood, representation matters. And as far as I’m concerned, it very much matters everywhere, including in the poor house and in the pen. 

So if someday Mr. Trump no longer has businesses through which he can grift and freedom of movement through which he can enjoy, I think it will come courtesy of the hard work of one Letitia James. 

She gives me faith in the system. God bless her.

And with all that talk, let’s talk about a villain for 2022. It’s none other than the Georgia voters who backed the GOP. I’m talking to them now. From Herschel Walker to Marjorie Taylor Greene to Brian Kemp, why are you like this? 

You had options and damn good ones yet you chose foolishness. Does White supremacy and the patriarchy really mean that much to you? What has it really gotten you? 

Do you get like a Jim Crow Legacy Award? Structural racism, subconscious bias, outright discrimination. They all reduce your employment productivity, GDP, do you not want to thrive? 

You’re really sending this message that tells me you want to fail. We saw you put Donald Trump in power. Yet you also backed Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is nonsense personified. You put Brian Kemp in power despite the fact that that spineless man is anti-abortion to the extent he even commented about banning Plan B. 

And Herschel Walker who fortunately wasn’t elected to the Senate. He can’t even formulate complete sentences and avoid telling lies yet y’all forced a runoff election that came down to the wire because Walker had what? Was going against an overeducated minister? Really? Georgia GOP voters, you would test the patience of Mother Teresa herself. You are my villain for 2022 and you let me know that sexism and racism is very much still alive in the United States. Congratulations, you have my ire. 

I am looking forward to 2023 and I do hope it brings everyone joy and a little bit of common sense.

 

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