A federal judge on Nov. 24 dismissed the federal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The judge is Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The judge found that the appointment of interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Alexandria, Virginia, was invalid. Trump handpicked Halligan for the role amid increasing pressure to bring criminal cases against his political enemies, including Comey and James. Halligan handled obtaining indictments against Comey and James after other prosectors refused to do so.
The judge dismissed the cases “without prejudice,” meaning that the doors is left open for new indictments to be brought. However, in the case, of Comey, the statute of limitations for the crime with which he was charged has expired. Comey was charged in connection with testimony he gave more than five years ago. The indictment alleged Comey lied to Congress by denying he authorized any FBI employees to leak information to the press. The Trump administration prosecution claimed he had directed someone to pass information to a reporter.
Both Comey and James were among those who Donald Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate and prosecute in a message that was intended to be a private text but was instead made public.
James was investigated and prosecuted for alleged mortgage fraud. It was alleged that when she applied for a mortgage she said she would be using the property as a residence. The indictment alleged that she actually intended to use the property as an investment property and classified it as a residence in order to receive a lower interest rate on the mortgage.
In reaction to the judge’s ruling, 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.”
In a video posted on the internet, Comey said. “I’m grateful that the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence and a reflection of what the Department of Justice has become under Donald Trump, which is heartbreaking. But I was also inspired by the example of the career people who refuse to be part of this travesty. It cost some of them their jobs, which is painful, but it preserved their integrity, which is beyond price.”
He continued to say that a message must be sent that the president “cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies.”
“I don’t care what your politics are, you have to see that as fundamentally un-American and a threat to the rule of law that keeps all of us free,” Comey said. “I know that Donald Trump will probably come after me again, and my attitude is going to be the same. I’m innocent. I am not afraid. And I believe in an independent federal judiciary, a gift from our founders, that protects us from a would-be tyrant.”
“The facts of the indictments against Comey and James have not changed and this will not be the final word on this matter,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to CNN. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that the administration would appeal the judge’s dismissal of the cases.
(Some material from CNN Newsource was used in this article.)
