Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the leaking of confidential donor information by New York Attorney General Letitia James is an example of the radical left's "win-at-all costs mentality."
Haley, in a New York Post opinion column, warned liberals who "think they can intimidate and silence conservatives. They don't know who they're messing with."
"Conservatives have been too nice for too long," wrote Haley, widely considered a contender for the 2024 GOP national ticket. "I will hold the New York attorney general's office accountable. And liberals should be very worried when conservatives next win elections, at both the state and federal levels.
"We won't stoop to the left's pitiful level of abusing government power to target opponents. But we will beef up the punishments for those who do and prosecute offenders to the maximum degree."
Late last month, Haley told Newsmax's Eric Bolling that she was suing James' office for leaking the tax returns of her nonprofit group, Stand for America, to the mainstream media.
In her opinion column posted Wednesday night, Haley called on the Justice Department to investigate the New York AG's office.
"We submitted a Freedom of Information Law request to James' office. The department claimed it could not find a single record from any group or individual requesting our tax return. If that's true, then somebody leaked it. Hence our request for DOJ to investigate," wrote Haley, former South Carolina governor.
"If DOJ refuses, that says the Biden administration is completely fine with illegally targeting conservatives.
"This is more than just a gross violation of state and federal law — it's a glaring sign of the left's win-at-all costs mentality. Liberals are willing to do anything to beat conservatives, and they don't care what laws they break or whom they hurt along the way."
A list of Same America supporters' names and personal information was leaked despite federal and state law requiring that New York keep this information confidential.
"James' office is targeting Stand for America, which I founded to shine a light on failed liberal policies and promote strong conservative solutions," Haley wrote. "We've criticized New York state for the simple reason that it's a basket case of crime, wokeness, and half-baked radical ideas.
"The message is unmistakable: Criticize New York's disastrous policies, and we'll keep coming after you. In other words, shut up."
Haley wrote about James' history of targeting conservatives, and how the AG had promised, while campaigning, that "made clear she'd do virtually anything to punish conservatives."
"Look at how she's targeted pro-life groups. James used hidden cameras and undercover agents to monitor activists counseling women against abortion, with the goal of shutting them down. But federal courts decisively ruled against her. It says something that James was willing to shred conservatives' constitutional right to gather," Haley wrote.
"She tried the same trick with the National Rifle Association. In what was clearly a political attempt to shut down the gun-rights organization for good, she went after the NRA's finances. But even prominent liberals — including at Harvard and The Washington Post — made clear that this move was profoundly dangerous. Why? Because it sets a precedent of trying to destroy political opponents using government power."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.