NEW YORK (PIX11) -- NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges accusing her of lying on mortgage papers to secure favorable loan terms in a case pushed by President Donald Trump.

James' first court appearance in Virginia sets the stage for a high-stakes legal battle between the Republican administration and a Democratic longtime Trump adversary who angered him with a major civil fraud case she brought against him.

James was indicted this month after the top federal prosecutor who had been overseeing the investigation was pushed out by the Trump administration and the president publicly called on the Justice Department to take action against James and other political foes. She faces bank fraud and false-statements charges in

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