A federal judge has dismissed the criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to a report from the Associated Press. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor in both James’ case and a separate case involving former FBI Director James Comey, was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.
Both cases were dismissed without prejudice, which means prosecutors could try to bring charges again in the future. However, it is unclear if this will happen because Halligan, who previously served as personal lawyer to Donald Trump, appears to be ineligible to file new indictments.
James was indicted last month by a federal grand jury on bank fraud charges related to her mortgage applications for properties in Virginia and Brooklyn. The indictment alleged that she misrepresented information about primary residence status and property details to obtain better mortgage terms.
The investigation began after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a special prosecutor would look into whether James falsified records for homes she owns valued at under $2 million.
In August, James’ attorney described the probe as “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign,” according to the New York Times.
The Trump administration has stepped up investigations into critics by pursuing bank fraud allegations. Fannie Mae’s ethics office also investigated claims that Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte improperly accessed mortgage records of several officials including James. Following these inquiries, numerous Fannie Mae staffers involved in ethics and investigations either resigned or were dismissed.
Letitia James is known for her previous civil fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump and his real estate company. Other political figures such as Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell have also faced public accusations from administration officials.
