Judge Tosses Letitia James’ Criminal Case

A judge dismissed the criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed the mortgage fraud case against James, as well as the criminal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey. The judge ruled that the prosecutor in both cases, Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.

The cases were thrown out without prejudice, meaning they could be revived in the near future. The path for refiling is uncertain, however, as the DOJ’s prosecutor in the cases appears to be ineligible to bring the indictments again.

A federal grand jury indicted James last month. Halligan, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, was tasked with leading James’ indictment on bank fraud charges.

Allegations against James included marking on a mortgage application that a house she and her niece bought in Virginia would be a primary residence, misrepresenting the number of units at a row house in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and falsifying documents to secure better mortgage terms.

The indictment came after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a special prosecutor to investigate whether James falsified records for homes she owns in Brooklyn and Virginia, worth under $2 million, to obtain better loan terms.

James’ lawyer in August called the investigation “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign,” the New York Times reported.

The Trump administration has been increasingly going after its critics by investigating allegations of bank fraud. Fannie Mae’s ethics and investigation units looked into whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte improperly acquired the mortgage records of several officials, including James. After the investigations, dozens of ethics and investigative staffers at Fannie were fired or pressured to step down.

James is a well-known adversary of the president after bringing a massive civil fraud case against Trump and his real estate organization. Other political adversaries to face public accusations include Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell, a gubernatorial candidate in California.

— Holden Walter-Warner