A banner featuring U.S. President Donald Trump hangs over the U.S. Department of Labor, which published its weekly initial jobless claims report for the week ending January 3, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
The Trump administration is reportedly targeting the hairdresser of one of the president's perceived foes as the Justice Department's retributive prosecutions flounder.
Federal prosecutors are digging into financial transactions between New York Attorney General Letitia James and her longtime hairdresser Iyesata Marsh, launching yet another investigation into one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Marsh has known James for years, and faces serious heat of her own. Last month, she was indicted in Louisiana on bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges over a Land Rover purchase from three years ago. Court documents allege Marsh and her nephew used a stolen identity from an Ohio woman to buy the SUV.
Now prosecutors want to grill Marsh about past financial dealings with James and her campaign, according to the report. James hasn't been accused of wrongdoing, but the feds are eyeing payments her 2018 attorney general campaign made to Marsh, such as $22,000 to rent a Brooklyn studio plus another $14,000 tied to a musical performance at an Albany political event.
This marks the latest chapter in Trump's relentless push to build a case against James, who sued the ex-president for inflating his net worth by billions.
Previous attempts have spectacularly backfired.
A Virginia indictment was tossed when the judge ruled the prosecutor was unlawfully appointed. Grand juries then rejected charges twice, a rare outcome.
James's lawyer, Abbe D. Lowell, blasted the move as pure vendetta: “Like their earlier attempts, this attack on Ms. James is doomed to fail,” he told The Times. “The desperation of those working for Trump is palpable and makes indelible the stain already put on this Justice Department.”