Grand jury decides not to charge New York AG Letitia James, a Trump opponent

On Thursday, a grand jury chose not to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, a well-known political adversary of former President Donald Trump, on allegations of mortgage fraud, according to reports from U.S. media outlets. This development follows closely after the initial case against her was dismissed.

District Judge Cameron Currie had previously thrown out the case against James, as well as a separate case involving former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that the U.S. attorney appointed by Trump to pursue the charges had been installed unlawfully.

NBC News reported that a different group of prosecutors presented James case to a grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, on Thursday, but the panel declined to issue an indictment. The Justice Department may still attempt to bring charges in the future.

James, 67, a Democrat, had previously achieved a legal victory against Trump in a civil fraud case. In October, she was charged with one count of bank fraud and another for making false statements to a financial institution. Comey, 64, faced charges in September for providing false information to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. Observers have widely interpreted both cases as retaliatory actions by Trump against political rivals.

The indictments against Comey and James followed the resignation of Erik Siebert, the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who reportedly informed Justice Department leadership that there was insufficient evidence for prosecution. Siebert was replaced by Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney to Trump, who successfully obtained the indictments.

Judge Currie ruled that Halligans appointment was unlawful because her predecessor had also served in an acting capacity, violating federal law which prohibits consecutive interim appointments for top federal prosecutors.

After Trump left the presidency in 2021, James secured a civil fraud judgment against him, alleging that he and his real estate company had misrepresented property values to obtain favorable bank loans and insurance terms.

Comey, appointed FBI director by President Barack Obama in 2013, was dismissed by Trump in 2017 during an investigation into potential collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia in the 2016 election. The criminal charges against Comey emerged shortly after Trump publicly pressured the Justice Department to act against him and other perceived political opponents, raising concerns about the independence of federal prosecutors.

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• Grand jury declines to indict New York AG Letitia James, a Trump foe