Letitia James doesn’t name a former New York attorney general she admires

Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James remained silent for several seconds when asked to name a former state attorney general she admired during the debate over New York’s attorney general race Thursday.

“Tick tock,” Spectrum News 1’s Errol Louis, one of the moderators, told James, drawing laughter from the attorney general.

The race for attorney general in New York comes against the backdrop of James’ ongoing dispute with President Donald Trump, who called James a “complete and utter disaster” and accused him of waging a “witch hunt” against him by supporting James’ Republican challenger, Saritha Komatireddy, in August.

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New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during an announcement about the Standing Up to ICE outreach program at the New York Governor’s Office, August 12, 2026. (Reuters/David Dee Delgado)

James’ hiatus immediately drew criticism from Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor and Drug Enforcement Administration chief of staff, who joked from the podium that James “only admires herself.”

“An absolutely devastating moment for Tish James,” conservative communications strategist Steve Guest wrote on X. “‘She only admires herself’ is a hot debate for all ages.”

“No, no, no, no, we look up to other people,” James said. “I admire all the former attorneys general because it’s a tough job and you have to stand up.”

When asked the same question, Komatireddy named Dennis Vacco, who served as state attorney general from 1995 to 1998. Like Komatireddy, he was also a former federal prosecutor.

James then said she admired former Democratic Attorney General Bob Abrams, who served from 1979 to 1993.

The exchange, which took place in the final moments of Thursday’s debate, led critics to question whether James knew other New York attorneys general.

“Very telling moment,” Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin wrote on

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Republican nominee for New York Attorney General Saritha Komatireddy holds a news conference with state GOP lawmakers on increasing public transportation safety in New York, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at West Capitol Park in Albany, NY (Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images))

“He’s a spokesperson,” McLaughlin continued. “Zero institutional knowledge.”

“Letitia James doesn’t know the plural of ‘Attorney General,'” another Twitter user wrote.

Nicole Kiprilov, a spokesperson for Komatireddy, echoed the candidate’s comment during the debate.

“Letitia James cannot name a single former prosecutor general that she admires because she is too busy admiring herself. She made the prosecutor general’s office her own political stage and ignored state security,” Kiprilov said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “New Yorkers deserve a real prosecutor, not a joke like her!”

But James’ campaign pushed back on Komatireddy’s characterization of James and the way she runs her office.

“Attorney General Letitia James spent much of the debate teaching her opponent how the attorney general’s office really works, and she was happy to nominate former Attorney General Bob Abrams as someone she respects,” a spokesperson for James said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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General view of the now-closed Chi Phi fraternity house located at 107 Edgemoor Lane in Ithaca, New York, on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)

James’ attorney general’s office was thrust into the national spotlight after Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James as a special investigator to look into an alleged gang rape that occurred at Cornell University in October 2024. The renewed attention follows a recent lawsuit filed by the alleged victim, Jane Doe, against the university, the alleged perpetrators, her sorority and a bar that allegedly served her alcohol when she was underage.

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But James received calls from an attorney asking one of the defendants to recuse himself from the case because of social media posts showing support for Jane Doe before James was named a special investigator.