Charges brought against James Comey and Letitia James are dismissed
Former FBI Director James Comey has responded after a judge ordered the Justice Department to drop charges against him.
On December 4, a federal grand jury rejected an attempt to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, a key target of President Donald Trump’s ire, less than two weeks after a judge dismissed the Trump administration’s initial indictment.
The grand jury’s dismissal of the indictment marks the Justice Department’s second attempt to indict the New York attorney general, whom the president has sharply criticized in recent weeks. Mr. James filed a lawsuit against Mr. Trump in 2022.
In a statement, Ms James strongly condemned the attempted prosecution, calling the charges against her “baseless”.
“The time has come to end the unchecked weaponization of our justice system,” New York City’s top prosecutor said in a statement. “I thank the members of the grand jury and am humbled by the support I have received from across the country. I will continue my work standing up for the rule of law and the people of New York.”
After the initial indictment on bank fraud charges, Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Curry concluded that Attorney General Pam Bondi illegally appointed Lindsey Harrigan, who served as Trump’s personal attorney, as Virginia’s senior prosecutor. Because Mr Harrigan secured the indictment, the charges had to be dismissed, Mr Currie ruled.
These first charges against James come less than three weeks after President Trump said in a social media post that James and two others – former FBI Director James Comey and California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff – were “thoroughly guilty” and that delaying prosecution was not an option. The post raised concerns among legal experts because the president appeared to be interfering with the Justice Department’s investigation, despite the historical norm since the Nixon administration’s Watergate scandal that the agency’s investigations be independent of the White House.
President Trump directed the post to Attorney General Bondi and praised Harrigan, without specifying what criminal charges he was referring to. Mr. Bondi hired Mr. Harrigan, who had never worked as a prosecutor, within days.
Comey was indicted on Sept. 25 on charges of lying to Congress, and James was indicted on Oct. 9 on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. Judge Currie dismissed both charges based on his conclusion that Mr. Harrigan’s appointment was invalid.
Schiff has not been charged, but the Justice Department is also investigating him.
The three people targeted by President Trump have upset him enough to lash out at him publicly for a variety of reasons.
Mr. James filed a civil fraud lawsuit against Mr. Trump in 2022, alleging that Mr. Trump had inflated the value of his assets for years in order to obtain better loan terms. The judge in the case agreed and handed down a fine of approximately $500 million, including interest.
The Court of Appeals subsequently upheld the finding of wrongdoing but dismissed the fine as excessive. James’ office appealed the ruling.
Comey led the FBI during the investigation into possible contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in 2016. He became an outspoken critic of Trump after the president fired him in 2017.
Schiff investigated the role of Trump and his allies in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and helped lead Trump’s first impeachment over allegations that Trump unfairly pressured the Ukrainian government to investigate then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Contributed by: Reuters
