US judge dismisses criminal charges against James Comey, Letitia James

Letitia James, the former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and James Comey, the former FBI head, have been charged with criminal offenses by a federal judge in the United States.

District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie found Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor in charge of the two cases, to be an unlicensed person, which in turn rendered the indictments invalid.

The administration of President Donald Trump, who personally requested criminal charges against James and Comey, faces a significant setback with this decision.

However, James and Comey, two well-known Trump critics, may not yet be finished.

Currie’s decision to dismiss the criminal charges was made without prejudice, allowing for a second case to be brought up.

However, she did state that Halligan “had no legal authority” to file the indictments, which raises questions about how her role as prosecutor will develop in the future.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Currie as a “partisan judge” in the wake of the ruling and said the administration would contest the decision.

Leavitt remarked, “I know there was a judge who was clearly trying to shield Letitia James and James Comey from being held accountable, and that’s why they took this unprecedented action to remove these two individuals’ indictments.”

“But very soon, the Department of Justice will file an appeal.” Lindsey Halligan, in our opinion, is not only legally appointed to this position, but she is also.

Halligan is appointed prosecutor by Trump.

Halligan had been appointed as Virginia’s Eastern District’s interim US attorney in September.

Trump and Halligan’s predecessor, Erik Siebert, reportedly refused to charge James because there was no such thing as proof, sparking a public outcry.

That sparked a furore in the White House. On September 19, Siebert resigned, and Trump later announced his own firing on social media.

Trump claimed that he had no case and that he even lied to the media. No, I fired him, and many attorneys and legal experts concur that there is a GREAT CASE.

The president also addressed California’s Adam Schiff, a US senator, and attorney general Pam Bondi in the message, praising the Department of Justice’s need to move forward with the investigation into James, Comey, and other US senators.

What about Leticia, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, and Comey? They are all indecent, according to Trump, but nothing can be done.

He signaled that Halligan would assist in bringing charges against Bondi right away.

Trump remarked, “We can’t delay any longer; it’s destroying our reputation and credibility.” “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED NOW!” “!

Halligan had no prior experience with prosecution, and her principal area of practice was insurance law. She previously represented Trump in court.

Halligan had already secured an indictment against Comey for allegedly obstructing a Senate hearing and lying to Congress within days of taking up her position as US attorney.

Then, on October 6, Halligan filed a second indictment against James, claiming she had committed mortgage fraud.

On October 16, John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, was the subject of a third indictment.

All three have disputed guilt and asserted that the accusations were political retribution. Comey, James, and Bolton have all publicly criticized Trump, and James has even successfully prosecuted him for bringing a case of civil fraud against him in New York.

James and Comey are suing dismissal.

The defendants’ attorneys have used a number of means to get the cases dropped before going to trial.

Judge Currie heard James and Comey’s first petition’s opening arguments on November 13.

Because Halligan did not receive judicial approval, they claimed that her appointment as US attorney was unlawful.

Interim US attorneys typically have a 120-day window of service. Federal judges in the district may elect candidates after that time.

Bis the Senate could choose a permanent occupant for the position, Siebert had served for 120 days and had obtained judicial approval to continue as acting US attorney.

However, Halligan was unable to get the judges’ approval. According to Comey and James’ attorneys, that made her appointment as a US attorney illegal.

However, the Justice Department’s attorneys claimed that the problem was merely a “paperwork error” and that Attorney General Bondi had also approved of the indictments.

However, Currie’s courtroom hearings raised serious questions about the indictments’ validity.

In a separate decision on November 17th, Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick addressed concerns raised by Currie that Comey’s case’s grand jury transcript was insufficient.

The prosecution’s statements were made inaccurately, and there was a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative mistakes,” he claimed, as per the records. He also made a point that the grand jury was required to see that Comey’s most recent indictment had never been fully presented.

Source: Aljazeera