This article recounts claims by a New York Attorney General prosecutor who says he was ordered to hunt for crimes tied to President Trump and associates, that the internal message was removed from state servers, and that the office responded by placing the employee on leave while insisting it follows the law.

Tish Got Caught Red-Handed: Prosecutor’s Email Alleging a Trump Hunt Was Deleted From State Servers

A prosecutor inside New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office has accused supervisors of turning law enforcement into a political tool aimed at President Trump and his allies. The accusation came in an agency-wide email that the prosecutor says instructed staff to pursue crimes by specific people and organizations linked to Donald Trump.

The prosecutor, Daniel Wiesenfeld, now assigned to the Investor Protection Bureau, sent the message to hundreds of colleagues on a Friday, according to accounts. He wrote that he had been told “to find and pursue crimes committed by specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Donald Trump.”

Wiesenfeld compared the attorney general’s office to the type of politicized behavior the office accuses Trump of committing. He identified a bureau chief, Shamiso Maswoswe, as the person who directed him to target Trump, Truth Social, and Hewlett-Packard without what he described as a credible reason.

Those who reviewed the email say it was quickly removed from state computer servers after it circulated. The deletion raised questions about internal controls over official communications and whether political considerations shaped investigative priorities in the AG’s office.

Wiesenfeld argued that a legitimate prosecutor’s office should begin with evidence of wrongdoing and follow leads to suspects, not pick targets first and then search for statutes to fit. He wrote, “If you believe Trump is using (Department of Justice) attorneys to prosecute his enemies and further his political interests, you should find it equally troubling that Tish (James) is doing exactly the same thing.”

He went on to urge colleagues not to act as “Tish’s personal attorneys by targeting her political enemies,” expressing a concern about weaponizing prosecutorial resources for partisan ends. The tone of the message made clear this was intended as an internal rebuke of what he saw as improper direction from leadership.

https://x.com/nypost/status/2094367468709941466

The employee’s claims did not go unanswered inside the agency. After the email’s removal, the attorney general’s general counsel sent a follow-up preparation that labeled the episode an internal personnel matter. Those communications stressed that no one in the office was in danger and framed the situation as an administrative issue.

Public statements from the office’s spokeswoman said the employee had been placed on administrative leave with full pay while the matter was addressed. “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,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

Wiesenfeld also accused the office of using “significant public taxpayer dollars to target convenient public enemies” while failing to act on other problems he named. He listed concerns such as nonprofit homeless shelter fraud and antisemitic crimes near synagogues, suggesting uneven enforcement choices driven by political convenience.

Observers noted that the attorney general’s track record includes high-profile actions against Trump-related entities, and the office’s leadership has previously signaled an intent to pursue legal action related to the former president. James publicly declared in 2018, “We will prosecute the president for crimes committed in New York state,” words that informed later expectations about her office’s focus.

The 2024 civil fraud case brought by the attorney general produced a large judgment and subsequent appeals court activity that altered parts of the verdict. That multi-year effort and its political implications remain part of the backdrop for how staff and critics view current prosecutorial decisions inside the office.

Officials defending the attorney general’s office say it operates within legal bounds and rejects claims that political bias dictates investigations. “We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary,” stated a spokesperson, emphasizing the office’s commitment to equal application of the law.

Still, the episode has prompted renewed scrutiny about the line between vigorous enforcement and partisan targeting, especially when messages about investigations appear to single out named individuals or companies. The tension between internal dissent and public accountability is likely to continue as investigators, staff, and outside observers parse what the email revealed and what its deletion implies.