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.
Former FBI Director James Comey has been subpoenaed as part of a Justice Department investigation into whether Obama administration officials violated laws during an initial investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to multiple media reports.
Comey had previously been indicted by the Trump administration on charges of lying to Congress, but the case was dismissed after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who prosecuted him was illegally appointed. The Department of Justice appealed this decision.
The development follows Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s assertion in a July 23 press conference that the Obama administration pushed a “contrived narrative” that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to support President Donald Trump. The same day, the Justice Department announced it was creating a “strike force” to evaluate the evidence and “explore potential next legal steps.”
Axios, citing unnamed sources, was the first of several media outlets to report on Comey’s subpoena. The investigation is reportedly being led by U.S. Attorney Jason A. Redding Quiñones, a Florida federal prosecutor appointed by President Trump.
The Justice Department has launched multiple prosecutions within the past year after President Trump publicly called for prosecutions of specific targets. This includes the so far unsuccessful prosecution of Comey, who was fired from the FBI by President Trump in 2017.
This includes a separate complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed a civil suit against Trump in 2022. The case against her was dismissed in the same ruling that dismissed Mr. Comey’s case after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who secured the indictment was wrongfully imprisoned.
This story has been updated with additional information.
