The U.S. Justice Department has opened a multi-pronged investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, issuing subpoenas for records tied to the $454 million civil fraud judgment she won against President Donald Trump and for documents from her separate lawsuit against the National Rifle Association, according to people familiar with the matter. Investigators are examining whether James’ pursuit of the Trump case violated the former president’s civil-rights protections. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has also appointed former interim Washington, D.C., U.S. attorney Ed Martin as a special prosecutor to lead a grand-jury inquiry in the Eastern District of Virginia into allegations that James falsified mortgage and occupancy statements on multiple properties. A parallel grand jury in Maryland is reviewing similar accusations against Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. The mortgage probe stems from referrals submitted earlier this year by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who asserted that James misrepresented a five-unit Brooklyn building as a four-unit residence for more than a decade and declared a Virginia home as her primary residence despite written statements to the contrary. Violations could expose the attorney general to potential charges under federal bank-fraud and false-statement statutes. James, the first woman and first Black person elected New York attorney general, rejects the accusations, calling them politically motivated retaliation. Her lawyer, Abbe D. Lowell, said the subpoenas are “improper” and amount to weaponizing federal law-enforcement powers. The federal scrutiny intensifies as Trump appeals the February 2024 fraud verdict; with interest accruing at roughly $112,000 a day, the amount he owes has risen to about $513 million. Trump posted a $175 million bond while the appeal proceeds.