Trump DOJ Loses To Letitia James
The Justice Department has suffered another public embarrassment after failing to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James (D). The grand jury’s refusal delivers a major blow to federal prosecutors who have spent months targeting one of President Trump’s most aggressive political foes.
This new failure comes after the original case collapsed when a federal judge ruled that the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as acting U.S. attorney — the official who brought the charges — was unlawful. Instead of appealing, DOJ officials attempted to reboot the case. The grand jury responded with a clear message: no indictment.
Neither the Justice Department nor the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia offered any public explanation.
Grand Jury Rejects DOJ’s Second Attempt
Letitia James’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the grand jury’s refusal to indict was a “decisive rejection of a case that should never have existed.”
Lowell criticized the initial charges, calling them politically motivated and pointing out that career prosecutors refused to pursue them.
He warned that continuing to chase James after both a court ruling and a grand jury rejection would amount to “a shocking assault on the rule of law.”
DOJ had brought in additional prosecutors — including one from Missouri — to present the new case. It still wasn’t enough.
The Original Charges Against James
The earlier two-count indictment centered on whether James misled a lender about plans for a Virginia property in order to obtain better loan terms. Prosecutors claimed she stood to save around $19,000 over the life of the loan.
She faced bank fraud and false statement accusations.
James has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, insisting that the charges were politically motivated.
After the grand jury decision, she called the allegations “baseless” and said the effort to prosecute her was part of an “unchecked weaponization of our justice system.”
She publicly thanked the grand jury for ending the latest attempt.
James’s Long Feud With Trump Looms Large
Letitia James became a national figure after launching a sweeping lawsuit against President Trump and the Trump Organization in Manhattan.
In 2022, she accused Trump of inflating his net worth to gain business advantages — a case conservatives widely criticized as politically driven.
A New York judge originally punished Trump with more than $500 million in penalties, before an appeals court threw out the decision. Both sides have now appealed to New York’s highest court.
Why the DOJ Case Collapsed
The central reason the original charges were dismissed was a ruling that Lindsey Halligan, a Trump-era White House aide appointed to act as U.S. attorney, was never legally eligible for the role.
Bondi’s authority to install an interim U.S. attorney had expired, the judge said — nullifying the prosecution entirely.
It also shut down the DOJ’s case against former FBI Director James Comey, who has long been criticized for his role in the Trump-Russia investigation.
The White House insisted afterward that the dismissals were merely procedural and argued that the facts of the indictments “had not changed.”
Could Prosecutors Try Again? Yes — But It’s Complicated
Because the judge dismissed the charges without prejudice, the DOJ technically has the authority to seek new indictments.
But after the grand jury’s rejection, prosecutors now face an even higher hurdle.
The Justice Department is also reviewing whether to reindict Comey. But issues involving the statute of limitations — and a new lawsuit filed by Comey’s former lawyer — could severely limit their ability to revive the case.
Comey responded to the dismissal by releasing a video insisting he is “innocent.”
