New York Attorney General Letitia James was charged Thursday by the US Justice Department as part of a mortgage fraud investigation pushed by President Donald Trump.

"No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public's trust," US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan said in a statement. 

"If convicted, Letitia James faces penalties up to 30 years in prison per count, up to $1 million fine on each count, and forfeiture," the statement from Halligan's office added. 

Letitia James says charges are 'baseless'   

James had drawn the ire of Trump when she sued him and his company for fraud while he was running for office.

The attorney general rejected the charges against her, calling them "baseless" and "political retribution" for her successful civil suit against the president. 

"The president's own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost," James said in a video posted on social media, adding that Trump's actions "are a grave violation of our constitutional order."

"This is nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State attorney general," James said.

Democrats decry Trump's 'tyranny'

James' indictment comes after the US Department of Justice announced charges against James Comey, the former FBI director who led a probe into Russian election meddling during the 2016 election, which Trump won.

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York decried the indictment against Letitia James as "tyranny" by Trump. 

"This is what tyranny looks like. President Trump is using the Justice Department as his personal attack dog, targeting Attorney General Tish James for the 'crime' of prosecuting him for fraud — and winning," Schumer, a Democrat, said of the case.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery