A Republican challenger on Thursday called for New York Attorney General Letitia James to return tens of thousands of dollars in donations from a real estate developer linked to indicted ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin — but it appears she has already given away or returned most if not all of the cash. 

“I’m calling on the attorney general, Letitia James, to publicly – if she has not already – return all the funds that she received from Gerald Migdol, his family and his organization, and to have a public accounting to the public to see exactly how much money she’s received from him over the years,” Michael Henry, a Republican running for attorney general said at an Albany press conference Thursday. 

State campaign finance records show James has received about $35,000 in past donations from Migdol and his family. (The New York Times reported last week that James had received a total of $45,000 in donations that would also include associated businesses.)

“New Yorkers demand and deserve an attorney general who’s going to root out  corruption and not turn a blind eye out of political convenience,” he added.

A spokesperson for her campaign said Thursday that all money from Migdol and his family dating back to January 2019 has now been returned.

Federal prosecutors say Benjamin directed state money to real estate developer Migdol in exchange for campaign contributions to his failed 2019 run for New York City comptroller. Benjamin has pleaded not guilty to a total of five counts related to his alleged involvement in the bribery scheme. He is currently free on a $250,000 bond.

The fall of Benjamin, who Hochul appointed as lieutenant governor in August after replacing the disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has sent shock waves through state political circles, with some Democrats fearing blowback from voters in the November election.

James has returned thousands of dollars tied to Migdol that were given since last July, according to the campaign spokesperson, but legal impediments prevent James from returning older donations. The equivalent of $26,250 in donations given before July 2021 was evenly split among the nonprofits New York Cares, God’s Love We Deliver and Little Essentials, according to the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, in her first public remarks on outstanding criminal charges against him since his arrest last week, James blamed Benjamin for eroding public trust in political leaders.

James said that she will leave it to Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to determine how best to proceed with possibly removing Benjamin from the June primary ballot after he suspended his campaign. 

“My office is not involved in those determinations,” she said.

State Senate Democrats have been cool to getting Benjamin off the ballot through legislative action, but Hochul told reporters Thursday that she is still aiming to get a new preferred running mate in place before the primary ballot gets finalized early next month.