Bondi Names Special Prosecutor in Mortgage Fraud Cases Against Schiff, James

Martin, who was named special prosecutor to help conduct that probe, has been leading the department’s Weaponization Working Group since his nomination for District of Columbia U.S. attorney was pulled amid Republican lawmakers’ concerns about his scant prosecutorial experience and support for Jan. 6 rioters.

Martin is also involved in a separate investigation into Schiff, whom Trump has called to be prosecuted over mortgage fraud allegations related to a property in Maryland.

Schiff’s attorney called the allegations “transparently false, stale, and long debunked.”

“Mr. Martin is a January 6-defending lawyer who has repeatedly pursued baseless and politically motivated investigations to fulfill demands to investigate and prosecute perceived enemies,” said Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney in New York who is representing the senator. “Any supposed investigation led by him would be the very definition of weaponization of the justice process.”

Schiff has claimed that Trump conspired with Russian forces to win the 2016 election, but never produced the evidence he said he had.

James successfully prosecuted Trump for inflating the value of assets owned by the Trump Organization, which resulted in nearly half a billion dollars in fines. Trump is appealing the decision.