The whistleblower in Attorney General Letitia James’ office who said he was ordered to dig up dirt on President Trump met with federal prosecutors for “several hours” Tuesday, sources said.
Daniel Wiesenfeld, a former Brooklyn prosecutor and a lawyer in James’ office, had a lengthy sit-down with both criminal and civil attorneys from the FBI and the US Department of Justice over his bombshell claims, the sources told The Post.
The extent of the feds’ interest in the case is unclear.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James and a joint task force between the NYPD and District Attorneys of Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens on August 11, 2026. Stephen Yang for NY Post
Shamiso Maswoswe in an undated photo. Facebook/Shamiso Maswoswe
Wiesenfeld, who has been placed on paid administrative leave, claimed in a since-deleted Friday email to colleagues that was leaked to the Times-Union that his boss, Investor Protection Bureau Chief Shamiso Maswoswe, instructed him “to find and pursue crimes” by Trump allies.
“If you believe Trump is using the [Department of Justice] attorneys to prosecute his enemies to further his political interests, you should find it equally troubling that Tish [James] is doing exactly the same thing,” the email allegedly said.
“I ask you that you not serve as Tish’s personal attorneys by targeting her political enemies,” it said. “Instead, I hope you choose to prosecute crimes and find the individuals accountable, rather than targeting individuals and then finding crimes.”
In a statement this week, James’ office called the scandal “a personnel matter.”
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Thursday, August 27, 2026. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
“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 statement said. “We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary.”
The AG’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Wiesenfeld has not spoken publicly about the scandal.
In an email Wednesday, one of his attorneys, Levi Stoep, a partner with the firm Dordrecht Layton, said his client “has no public comment at the current time.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James looks on as Trump attends a civil fraud trial on Oct. 25, 2023. Dave Sanders/Pool via REUTERS
However, the Trump administration this week fired back at James in a scathing statement.
“This is more proof of the weaponization of the justice system by Letitia James to target President Trump and her political opponents,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said. “The far-left Democrats’ lawfare against President Trump, his family must stop.”
The front page of the New York Post on Monday, August 31, 2026.
Trump and James have been embroiled in a bitter feud for years.
During her 2018 campaign, the attorney general vowed to “prosecute the president for crimes committed in New York State” if elected.
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Once in office, James in 2022 filed a landmark civil fraud lawsuit against Trump, his two oldest sons and the Trump Organization, claiming a years-long scheme to inflate property values in a bid to fraudulently secure favorable loans.
In 2024, a state judge ruled in favor of James and ordered Trump to pay more than $350 million in penalties. The ruling was later upheld on appeal but without the hefty fine.
Meanwhile, Maswoswe, the bureau chief at the center of the current AG scandal, was revealed to have sued the Trump Department of Justice for race, gender and parenting discrimination.
Mawoswe was fired from the DOJ during Trump’s first term, and sued the agency in 2021 after he left office.
The case was settled for $795,000 in 2023 during the Biden administration, one year after she was hired by James.