On Monday, a federal judge threw out the criminal charges filed against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The judge determined that the prosecutor who initiated these charges, at President Donald Trump's request, had been appointed unlawfully by The Justice Department.
TL;DR
- Federal judge dismissed charges against James Comey and Letitia James due to unlawful prosecutor appointment.
- The judge ruled the prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was appointed unlawfully by The Justice Department.
- This decision halts two prosecutions and is a setback for The Trump administration's legal strategy.
- The judge dismissed cases without prejudice, leaving future prosecutions uncertain.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie's decisions have temporarily stopped two prosecutions, alleviating worries that the Justice Department was being used to target the president's political opponents. These rulings represent a significant setback for The Trump administration's legal strategy, which aimed to appoint an untested prosecutor loyal to the president to bring these cases.
Lindsey Halligan is now the most recent prosecutor from The Trump administration to face disqualification due to her appointment method. Both individuals facing charges had requested the dismissal of their cases with prejudice, which would prevent the Justice Department from refiling them. However, the judge opted for a dismissal without prejudice, leaving it uncertain whether the Justice Department would pursue the prosecutions again and how they might do so.
Halligan's appointment faced opposition as part of a broad attack on the indictments by Both Comey and James, who had both requested their cases be dismissed, arguing the prosecutions were retaliatory. Comey's legal team also highlighted issues with the grand jury proceedings when trying to have the prosecution invalidated. All these requests are still awaiting a decision.
The order issued on Monday pertains solely to the method the Trump administration utilized to assign Halligan, a former White House staffer lacking any previous prosecutorial background, to head one of the Justice Department's most distinguished and critical divisions.
Halligan assumed the position in September, following the departure of interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, who was compelled to step down due to pressure from The Trump administration to prosecute Comey and James.
Comey's legal team contended that following Siebert's departure, the federal court district's judges ought to have possessed sole authority in selecting a replacement. However, Trump put forward Halligan, simultaneously urging Bondi via social media to pursue action against his political adversaries, stating in a Truth Social post that “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Days later, Comey faced indictment for providing a false statement and obstructing Congress, with James subsequently being charged in a mortgage fraud inquiry.
In a statement, James said, “I am heartened by today’s victory and grateful for the prayers and support I have received from around the country.”
“I remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for New Yorkers every single day,” the New York attorney general, a Democrat, said.
Judicial officials have independently ruled against interim U.S. Attorneys in New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Nevada, yet have allowed prosecutions initiated under their supervision to proceed. However, legal representatives for Comey and James contended that Currie's decision should have been more extensive, given that Halligan was the only signatory on the indictments and the primary instigator of them.
For a considerable time, Comey has stood as one of Trump's primary adversaries. Having been appointed to his position in 2013 by President Barack Obama, Comey was, at the moment of Trump's 2016 electoral victory, in charge of an inquiry into whether the presidential campaign had colluded with Russia to influence the election's result. Incensed by this investigation, Trump dismissed Comey in May 2017, and the two figures have engaged in public disputes in the intervening years.
James has also frequently drawn Trump’s anger, particularly after she secured a staggering judgment against him and the Trump Organization. This lawsuit accused him of deceiving banks by inflating the worth of his properties on financial documents. An appeals court overturned the fine, which had grown to over $500 million with interest, yet affirmed a previous court's determination that Trump had engaged in fraud.
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This report was compiled with contributions from Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak in New York, as well as Lindsay Whitehurst and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington.