'Bad for America': Ex-Trump strategist slams effort to prosecute political foes

One of President Donald Trump's former advisors said on Thursday that the president's prosecution of his political enemies is "bad for America."

David Urban, one of Trump's senior advisors during his 2016 campaign, said during an interview on CNN that prosecuting New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged mortgage fraud is causing people to lose trust in the American justice system. His comments came just hours after Trump's hand-picked prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, returned an indictment against James from a grand jury.

Urban made the comments on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."

"It's a bad look," Urban said about the prosecution.

Halligan charged James with mortgage fraud because she allegedly misled a bank to get favorable loan terms, according to reports. Trump has used similar accusations against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

Some experts say Trump is prosecuting James as retribution for her vowing to go after Trump and charging him with 34 counts of civil fraud in 2023.

"I think Letitia James' action was terrible," Urban said. "I think any selective prosecution is bad and should be rebuffed, whether it's by Letitia James or by this Justice Department. I think it's bad for America, the American justice system and people's trust in our system."