Daniel Wiesenfeld has defied New York Attorney General Letitia James’ demand that he destroy records he took from her office, firing back in a blistering email that her threats will not compel him to erase evidence of alleged anti-Trump political corruption.
Wiesenfeld, 31, who worked in James’ Investor Protection Bureau before he was fired last month, sent the defiant message Monday after receiving two letters from the attorney general’s office, according to an email obtained by the Times Union. The former prosecutor had already made waves in August when he sent an agency-wide message to roughly 2,000 staffers claiming his supervisor ordered him to find and pursue crimes committed by those affiliated with Trump.
“If you believe Trump is using the [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,” Wiesenfeld wrote in that earlier email, which was later deleted from staff inboxes.
Wiesenfeld’s Monday email, which was also sent to Kumiki Gibson, general counsel in the attorney general’s office, opened with a direct reference to James’ escalating pressure campaign. “I am in receipt of your September 18th letter threatening me with ‘professional discipline, as well as civil and/or criminal action’ and your subsequent September 30th letter providing a deadline by 5pm today for me to confirm my destruction of your ‘confidential and/or privileged information’,” he wrote.
The former prosecutor also included photographic evidence of what he described as physical intimidation. “You have also commissioned your ‘protection detail’ detectives to repeatedly hound me by banging on my front door,” Wiesenfeld continued. “Attached is the business card one of them left in my door after their latest intrusion.”
That business card came from a detective with the AG’s Executive Protection Detail, the Times Union reported.
Wiesenfeld was placed on administrative leave after his August whistleblower email and subsequently fired on Sept. 5, according to the paper. His Monday message made clear he believes the timing of James’ threats connects directly to her political vulnerability.
“I understand that you are fearful of what I might do with your ‘confidential and privileged’ materials ahead of this year’s election, in which you are on the ballot,” Wiesenfeld wrote to James. “But your threats will not compel me to destroy such evidence.”
He added a warning that any legal action would backfire on the attorney general. “If anything, carrying out your threats by bringing this to a legal forum will make this information public,” he said.
A representative for James had previously addressed the controversy in August, framing it as an internal personnel issue. “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,” the rep said in a statement. “We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary.”
Wiesenfeld’s refusal to comply with the destruction deadline marks the latest escalation in a confrontation that began when he accused his superiors of directing him to target Trump affiliates. The former prosecutor has positioned himself as a whistleblower exposing partisan misuse of law enforcement power, drawing explicit parallels between James’ alleged conduct and accusations that Trump has weaponized the Justice Department against political opponents.
James, who won her first term in 2018 and is seeking reelection this year, has become one of Trump’s most prominent legal adversaries. Her office’s civil fraud case against the former president resulted in a $454 million judgment earlier this year, which Trump has appealed.
The attorney general’s office has not issued a new statement responding to Wiesenfeld’s Monday email or his allegations of intimidation by her protective detail.
Wiesenfeld’s case has drawn attention amid broader scrutiny of politically motivated prosecutions, with multiple outlets tracking what critics describe as retribution campaigns by both major political figures.
James is scheduled to appear at a campaign event in New York City next Thursday.