James decries Trump\u2019s \u2018weaponisation\u2019 of the justice system after second failed attempt to federally prosecute her.<\/p>\n
Published On 5 Dec 20255 Dec 2025<\/p>\n
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A federal grand jury has rejected prosecutors\u2019 attempt to revive a criminal case<\/a> against New York Attorney General Letitia James, after a judge previously threw out charges levelled against the prominent critic of United States President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n The indictment on Thursday marks the Department of Justice\u2019s second failed attempt to prosecute James, an elected Democrat against whom Trump had vowed retribution after her office brought a civil fraud case against him and his family business.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n In November, US District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed a mortgage fraud case against James after finding that the federal prosecutor who secured the indictment, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed.<\/p>\n James has maintained that the attempts to prosecute her are blatantly political. On Thursday, she again said allegations against her were \u201cbaseless\u201d as she called for the \u201cunchecked weaponisation of our justice system to stop\u201d.<\/p>\n Her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said any effort to continue the case would constitute \u201ca shocking assault on the rule of law and a devastating blow to the integrity of our justice system\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe grand jury\u2019s refusal to re-indict Attorney General James is a decisive rejection of a case that should never have existed in the first place,\u201d Lowell said in a statement.<\/p>\n Despite the grand jury\u2019s decision, federal prosecutors are still reportedly planning to seek a new indictment against James, the Reuters news agency reported, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n Vows of retribution<\/p>\n After James\u2019s office brought the civil case against Trump, a Judge in 2024 ordered him to pay a $450m penalty<\/a> after finding he fraudulently overstated his net worth to mislead lenders.<\/p>\n A New York state appeals court in August threw out the penalty but upheld the judge\u2019s finding that Trump was liable for fraud.<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly said the case was part of a political \u201cwitch-hunt\u201d against him that also included four since-dropped<\/a> criminal cases following his first term.<\/p>\n James is one of three high-profile critics of Trump hit with federal criminal charges in recent months, alongside former FBI director James Comey and former Trump national security adviser John Bolton.<\/p>\n A case against Comey, who led investigations into alleged collusion between Trump\u2019s 2016 campaign and Russia, was also dismissed in late November<\/a> by Judge Currie, citing the same unlawful appointment of Halligan.<\/p>\n