Who is Saritha Komatireddy? Republicans pick Indian-American lawyer to run against Letitia James for New York attorney general

Republicans picked Saritha Komatireddy, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor, to run against New York State Attorney-General Letitia James in elections this year.

In a post on X, Komatireddy sid, "I am tremendously honored and humbled to receive the support and endorsement of the @NewYorkGOP. Thank you for putting your faith in me. I will be an Attorney General who is focused on keeping New Yorkers safe. I look forward to earning the support of New Yorkers of every background and in every community, and working together to return law and order to New York.



James pursued President Donald Trump, members of his family and his enterprise alleging fraud, winning his hostility.

When Trump returned as president, his administration charged James with fraud over a mortgage that she had received, but the case was thrown out when a grand jury refused to indict her.




Trump nominated Komatireddy to be a federal judge in 2020 while she was a prosecutor, but the nomination lapsed when the Senate did not act on it before the end of its session and his first term, IANS reported.

In her decade as a federal prosecutor, Komatireddy specialised in terrorism, cybercrime, transnational criminal enterprises, money laundering, and foreign public corruption. She built a reputation taking on leaders of Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Mexican drug cartels.

Who is Saritha Komatireddy?

She said the 9/11 terrorist attack on the US in 2001 made her choose law as a career to go after terrorists.

“While I was chasing terrorists across the Middle East, I saw right here in my backyard in New York, public safety completely deteriorated,” she said.

Komatireddy also served as the chief of staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

As a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, she led some of the nation’s most high-profile cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and foreign public corruption. Her cases have impacted individuals and communities across New York State, from New York City and Long Island to Buffalo and Rochester.

Saritha has argued before federal courts, led national security investigations, and advised on matters of foreign affairs, criminal law, and cyber policy. She has been recognized with multiple Attorney General’s Awards and national law enforcement honors for her work protecting American communities and advancing justice.

Saritha graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and began her legal career as a clerk for then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. She later served as Counsel to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Today, she is a Partner at Holtzman Vogel and teaches at Columbia Law School. She is a proud mother of four.