What did Donald Trump do today?

He "brought charges" against New York and various Democratic state officials.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced today that the Trump Administration was "bringing charges" against the state of New York, its governor Kathy Hochul, its attorney general Letitia James, and Mark Schroeder, the commissioner of the state Department of Motor Vehicles. At issue is a state law that restricts federal access to DMV databases without a warrant.

Bondi's very public announcement was calculated to make it seem as though she was bringing criminal charges against the state officials: she mentioned "prosecutions" several times. But in fact, she is simply filing a lawsuit, and against a law that has been upheld by federal courts in the past. The first Trump administration threatened the state over the same law in 2020, briefly barring citizens of New York from federal "trusted traveler programs" like TSA Pre-Check, before backing down.

State governments cannot be compelled to enforce federal law. Likewise, under the Tenth Amendment, states retain sovereignty over matters not explicitly delegated to the federal government. 

Bondi's flashy announcement reflects the political motives at work. She was Trump's personal defense lawyer and impeachment counsel before becoming Attorney General—and so are the next two highest-ranking DOJ officials. When she was Florida's attorney general, she dropped the state from a lawsuit against Trump's fake university after receiving an illegal $25,000 campaign donation from his equally fake "charity." (The Trump Foundation was shut down by legal action, but while it operated as a non-profit, it was illegal for it to give to political candidates.) 

Letitia James brought a successful civil suit against Trump's business empire, winning $355 million in fines after proving that it had engaged in massive business fraud and tax fraud at Trump's instruction. James's office also aided in the successful criminal prosecution of the Trump Organization and several of its officers.

Gov. Hochul released a statement on the matter this afternoon:

Earlier today, Attorney General Pam Bondi marched in front of the television cameras for a dramatic media briefing to announce she was filing charges against New York State related to our immigration laws. Hours later, when legal papers were shared with reporters, we learned this was smoke and mirrors: the Department of Justice was filing a routine civil action about a law passed in 2019 that has been upheld by the courts time and again.

Here are the facts: our current laws allow federal immigration officials to access any DMV database with a judicial warrant. That's a common-sense approach that most New Yorkers support. But there's no way I'm letting federal agents, or Elon Musk's shadowy DOGE operation, get unfettered access to the personal data of any New Yorker in the DMV system like 16-year-old kids learning to drive and other vulnerable people.

New York is proud that immigrants from across the globe come here searching for a better life — people like my grandparents who left Ireland looking for the American dream. We welcome law-abiding individuals who want to work, pay taxes and contribute to our communities, while at the same time protecting the public safety of all New Yorkers by cracking down on violent criminals.

We expect Pam Bondi's worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit to be a total failure, just like all the others. Let me be clear: New York is not backing down. 

 

Why does this matter?

• Immigration policy should be about what's best for the country, not getting personal revenge.

• DOJ officials who do the President's personal bidding are not working on behalf of the American people.