On Thursday, December 4th, a federal grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, declined to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, a second setback for the Justice Department in its effort to pursue criminal charges against her. The case involves allegations that James falsified mortgage paperwork related to a 2020 home purchase in Norfolk.
The initial indictment, secured by Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump personal attorney serving as acting U.S. attorney, was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie. Currie ruled Halligan had been unlawfully appointed, invalidating the charges. Federal prosecutors sought a new indictment with a different grand jury, but sources confirmed the panel did not approve any charges.
James, who has been a frequent target of President Donald Trump, expressed gratitude to the grand jury and reaffirmed her innocence. “As I have said from the start, the charges against me are baseless,” she emphasized. “It is time for this unchecked weaponization of our justice system to stop.” Her lead defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, described the rejection as “a decisive rejection of a case that should never have existed in the first place.”
Prosecutors could attempt a third indictment, though James and former FBI Director James Comey, who faced similar dismissed charges, have argued they were targeted at Trump’s behest. The Justice Department declined to provide any comment on the grand jury proceedings.
