Attorney General Pam Bondi has pledged to appeal a federal judge’s decision to throw out the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, dismissed the charges, indicating that the Trump Administration prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was not qualified to bring the charges against Comey and James because of the manner in which she was appointed.
In a Monday press conference, Bondi countered, “We’ll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct.”
Halligan was named to the job in September after interim U.S. attorney Erik Siebert was thought to have been forced out amid pressure from the Trump administration to file charges against Comey and James.
Judge Currie dismissed the charges without prejudice, which means the Justice Department can still bring them again.
Former FBI Director James Comey, an Obama appointee, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. The charges stemmed from his 2020 testimony to Congress over the FBI’s investigation into now-disproved allegations of collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
New York Attorney General Letitia James was charged with committing bank fraud for allegedly making false statements in connection with a home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020. James had sued Donald Trump and his businesses in a civil fraud case that resulted in a $489 million fine.
Both Comey and James claim they’re innocent.
