US Grand Jury rejects new bid to charge Letitia James
A federal grand jury has declined to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, marking the U.S. Department of Justice’s second unsuccessful attempt to pursue criminal charges against her.
Prosecutors had sought to revive a mortgage-fraud case that was dismissed in November, when U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that the federal prosecutor who brought the indictment, Lindsey Halligan, had been unlawfully appointed, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
James, a Democrat and a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, has repeatedly said the allegations against her are politically motivated. On Thursday, she again criticised what she called the “baseless” accusations and urged an end to the “weaponisation of our justice system.”
Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, welcomed the grand jury’s decision, calling further attempts to prosecute James “a shocking assault on the rule of law” that would undermine public trust in the justice system.
Despite the setback, federal prosecutors still plan to seek a new indictment, according to Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
James has long been a target of Trump, who vowed retaliation after her office pursued a civil fraud case against him and his family business. In 2024, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay a $450 million penalty after determining he had inflated his net worth to obtain favourable loans. A state appeals court later overturned the penalty but upheld the fraud finding.
James is among several Trump critics recently hit with federal charges, including former FBI director James Comey and former national security adviser John Bolton. Charges against Comey were dismissed last month on the same grounds cited in James’s case. Bolton has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he shared sensitive government information and retained classified documents.
Similar news
