A senior prosecutor in the New York Attorney General’s office was placed on administrative leave after alleging in a mass email that he was ordered to "target Trump himself" and organizations linked to the former president, regardless of credible evidence. Daniel Wiesenfeld, an assistant attorney general assigned to the Investor Protection Bureau, sent the message to roughly 2,000 colleagues, stating that his supervisor, Shamiso Maswoswe, instructed him to pursue crimes by Donald Trump and related entities, including Truth Social and Hewlett Packard, without sufficient grounds.

The claims have intensified scrutiny of Attorney General Letitia James’s office, which has faced criticism for its high-profile investigations into Trump and his associates.

Wiesenfeld’s allegations come as James’s office continues to pursue major cases, including a recent lawsuit against Coinbase and Gemini for allegedly operating illegal gambling platforms in New York. The Investor Protection Bureau, where Wiesenfeld worked, handles such investigations and reviews complaints of securities fraud.

Whistleblower’s Email and Allegations

According to Wiesenfeld’s email, as first reported by the Albany Times Union, he was told to "find and pursue crimes committed by specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Donald Trump." He wrote that he was directed to "target Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger) … without having a credible reason for targeting these organizations and individuals."

Wiesenfeld, who has worked in the office for seven years, said in his message: "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."

"I ask that you not serve as Tish’s personal attorneys by targeting her political enemies. Instead, I hope you choose to prosecute crimes and find the individuals accountable, rather than targeting individuals and then finding crimes."

— Daniel Wiesenfeld, assistant attorney general

Shortly after the email was sent, it was deleted from office servers, and staff received a follow-up message from an executive assistant describing the situation as an "internal" matter and assuring employees they were not "in danger," according to individuals familiar with the communication.

Response from Attorney General’s Office

A spokesperson for Attorney General James confirmed Wiesenfeld had been placed on administrative leave with full pay, stating, "This is a personnel matter, and the employee in question has been placed on administrative leave with full pay. 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. We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary."

James’s office did not respond to additional requests for comment on Monday.

Broader Context and Political Criticism

Wiesenfeld’s email also criticized the office for allegedly prioritizing "political theater" and targeting "convenient public enemies" over addressing issues such as Medicaid fraud and crimes in and around synagogues. He accused James of focusing on re-election efforts rather than improving the quality of life for New Yorkers.

Wiesenfeld previously played a leading role in the lawsuit against Coinbase and Gemini, which accused the companies of running unlicensed gambling operations. The mention of Hewlett Packard in his email refers to James’s opposition, along with other Democratic attorneys general, to HP’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks, a deal that has drawn scrutiny from multiple states, as noted by the Colorado attorney general’s office.

Kyle Brosnan, general counsel for the Oversight Project, told The Federalist that the whistleblower’s claims "should come as a surprise to no one," arguing that James "ran for office on the promise that she would weaponize her office to unfairly target President Trump and his allies."

Wiesenfeld’s supervisor, Shamiso Maswoswe, joined the attorney general’s office in 2019 after previously working at the Department of Justice. Maswoswe filed a discrimination lawsuit against the DOJ in 2021, alleging wrongful termination and retaliation related to breastfeeding accommodations. The DOJ settled the case for nearly $800,000 without admitting wrongdoing, according to Bloomberg Law News.

The New York Attorney General’s office has not addressed Wiesenfeld’s specific claims about internal directives or the deletion of his email.