Grand jury declines to re-indict Letitia James as political-legal fight deepens

A federal grand jury has refused prosecutors’ bid to bring a second criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, marking another blow to efforts to charge the Democrat who pursued Donald Trump in a high-profile civil fraud suit.

Prosecutors attempted to revive mortgage fraud charges after a judge tossed the original indictment in November, ruling that the prosecutor who brought it, was unlawfully appointed. Thursday’s decision shuts the door on that effort, at least for now.

James, long a target of Trump’s ire, called the allegations “baseless” and urged an end to the “unchecked weaponisation of our justice system”. Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, called any further prosecution attempt “a shocking assault on the rule of law and a devastating blow to the integrity of our justice system”.

“The grand jury’s refusal to re-indict Attorney General James is a decisive rejection of a case that should never have existed in the first place,” Lowell said.

Despite the setback, federal prosecutors are reportedly weighing another attempt to file charges, according to Reuters citing two unnamed sources.

The tension traces back to James’ civil fraud case against Trump, which resulted in a $450m penalty later overturned on appeal, though the finding that Trump committed fraud was upheld. The former president has insisted the case was a partisan attack and part of a broader “witch-hunt” that also included criminal cases subsequently dropped after he retook office.

James joins a list of prominent Trump critics who have faced indictments in recent months, including former FBI director James Comey, whose case was also dismissed over Halligan’s appointment, and ex-national security adviser John Bolton, who has pleaded not guilty in a separate classified information case.