\u201cAs I have said from the start, the charges against me are baseless. It is time for this unchecked weaponization of our justice system to stop,\u201d James said in a statement Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am grateful to the members of the grand jury and humbled by the support I have received from across the country. Now, I will continue to do my job standing up for the rule of law and the people of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/greatamericanewsdesk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Letitia-James.jpeg\")
The decision comes amid intensifying national debate over whether federal law enforcement is being used for political ends, a concern frequently raised by Republican voters and officials in recent years. James, a prominent Democratic officeholder and a frequent political target of former President Donald Trump, had faced allegations that prosecutors said involved false statements to a financial institution and bank fraud. She previously pleaded not guilty to one count of making false statements to a financial institution and one count of bank fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Late last month, a federal judge threw out the initial charges, ruling that the prosecutor leading the cases had not been properly appointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In that decision, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said Lindsey Halligan, described as Trump\u2019s handpicked prosecutor, was unlawfully appointed as an interim U.S. attorney and that the cases against James and another Trump political opponent, former FBI Director James Comey, had to be dismissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cAll actions flowing from Ms. Halligan\u2019s defective appointment\u201d including the indictments against Comey and James \u201cwere unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside,\u201d Currie ruled.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The judge dismissed the cases \u201cwithout prejudice,\u201d leaving open the possibility that prosecutors could bring the same allegations again under a properly appointed official. That legal posture created a pathway for the Justice Department\u2019s rapid return to the grand jury, underscoring the government\u2019s determination to keep the matter alive even after the initial dismissal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, James\u2019 legal team and allies have continued to argue that the prosecution itself is politically motivated. Before the judge tossed the case, James raised claims that she was being singled out and targeted for selective and vindictive prosecution\u2014arguments that could resurface if prosecutors attempt to refile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James and Comey have pointed to public statements by Trump calling for investigations and prosecutions of political adversaries, and James has accused the government of \u201ctransforming the Department of Justice into the President\u2019s personal agents of revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their attorneys cited one of Trump\u2019s Truth Social posts, directed at Attorney General Pam Bondi in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cPam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, \u2018same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam \u2018Shifty\u2019 Schiff, Leticia??? They\u2019re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,\u2019\u201d Trump wrote, referring to Comey, James, and Sen. Adam Schiff of California.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n