New York Attorney General Letitia James walked onto a debate stage Thursday night for the first time in eight years and got dismantled by Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy

New York Attorney General Letitia James finally faced a Republican challenger willing to confront her record Thursday night, and former federal prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy came out swinging.

During a fiery, hourlong debate hosted by Spectrum News NY1, Komatireddy unleashed a blistering attack on the Democrat incumbent, accusing her of transforming New York’s top law enforcement office into a political weapon while neglecting violent crime, Medicaid fraud, public safety, and the growing mental health crisis.

“New Yorkers, you do not have an attorney general right now,” Komatireddy said. “For the last eight years, you’ve had a political hack sitting in the chair using our taxpayer money for her political purposes. When the cameras are not there, neither is Tish James.”

James’s answer, over and over, was the same one she has used since 2018: Donald Trump.

Saritha Komatireddy confronted Letitia James over her record and raised concerns about the politicization of the Attorney General’s Office.

Komatireddy blasted New York’s catch-and-release system and named the woman who championed it.

“[Letitia] was the largest champion for having this catch-and-release system,” Komatireddy said.

She pointed to an NYPD officer stabbed ten times in the chest by two illegal migrants who already had records for weapons and burglary, then offered the fix James refuses to touch: let judges consider dangerousness before they cut someone loose. She called it a common-sense change with bipartisan support, not a repeal of the whole statute.

James bragged that her office took 10,000 illegal guns off the street in eight years. Komatireddy called the number what it is.

“10,000 guns is pathetic. New Jersey seized 16,000 guns in one year.”

Komatireddy accused James of refusing to prosecute hate crimes against Jews and of using Title VI for other students while Jewish students were barricaded in campus libraries.

“This is the problem. She just stands there. She doesn’t do anything,” Komatireddy said. “She has used it for other students but not for Jewish students who have been barricaded in libraries because of their race. Got no help from Tish James.”

James talked about her old City Council ties to Orthodox communities in Crown Heights and Williamsburg. She would not commit to a standard definition of antisemitism. “We are looking at the definition of antisemitism,” she said.

Komatireddy then took aim at Letitia James over her refusal to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

“First, I want you to notice that Letitia James refuses to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. I will adopt it on day one. We already have an antisemitism definition. You don’t have to look for it. It’s right there,” Komatireddy declared.

The Republican challenger also targeted James’s record on Medicaid fraud, accusing her administration of failing to aggressively confront fraud involving taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.

Komatireddy questioned enforcement levels under James and argued that recovering stolen public funds should be a major priority for the attorney general.

James’s campaign has defended its work, pointing to enforcement actions, including a recent Medicaid fraud case involving approximately $31 million.

Komatireddy: “New York spends $126 billion on Medicaid every year. That’s more per resident than any other state in the country, twice per resident than New Jersey. That doesn’t make any sense. We’re both blue states with similar demographics and similar policies.

There’s about $40 billion of unexplained spending that Letitia James has failed to investigate.

The reality is, we used to have one of the best Medicaid fraud units in the country under previous Democratic attorneys general. Cuomo, Schneiderman—we recovered about $250 million a year.

Letitia James came in, and it took a nosedive to $19 million.

Under previous Democratic attorneys general, we got about 100 criminal convictions a year. Under Letitia James, we came to an all-time low of eight.

She gets 2,000 patient abuse complaints a year and gets maybe one or two convictions.

That means someone’s punching an elderly patient in the nursing home, and no one’s doing anything.

It’s lost money. It’s pain for patients. It’s lost medical care. It’s a total injustice, and the attorney general needs to go after it.”

Komatireddy promised an Office of Civil Commitment for people who are a danger to themselves or others.

“We don’t have a lack of authority. We don’t have a lack of resources. We lack an attorney general who is willing to enforce the law. I will.”

Every time James pivoted to Trump, Komatireddy had the line ready: “Every time Letitia James mentions Donald Trump, just remember it’s because she can’t defend her failing record.”

Then, in the lightning round, she said the quiet part out loud.

Komatireddy told the audience she would have to look at the facts and the law, and that she would do exactly that if she takes office January 1. James cut in.

“You don’t have to look at the facts and the law,” James said. “All you have to do is study what they do. It is illegal in the state of New York.”

Komatireddy didn’t let it sit.

“Well, there you go,” she shot back. “You don’t have to look at the facts and the law.”

When asked to name her favorite former New York attorney general, Letitia James struggled to come up with an answer, prompting Komatireddy to jump in with a sharp jab: “She only admires herself.”

The debate came just hours after Komatireddy released a mock 52-count indictment of James, accusing the incumbent of dereliction of duty.

As Fox News reported, the campaign document accused James of failing to adequately address crime, repeat offenders, homelessness, hate crimes, and fraud while directing her attention toward political confrontations with Trump.

A Siena University poll last month still had James ahead, 52% to 39%. That lead was 54–36 in August. The margin has already shrunk five points, and two-thirds of voters still do not know the challenger. Thursday night was the first time many of them saw her.

Early voting starts October 24. Election Day is November 3.

The post BRUTAL TAKEDOWN: Republican Saritha Komatireddy Destroys Trump-Hating Letitia James in Fiery New York AG Debate — Torches Her Record on Crime, Medicaid Fraud, and Political Witch Hunts! (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.