A US federal judge on Monday dismissed criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Judge Cameron McGowan Curry concluded that the prosecutor, Lindsay Halligan, who brought the charges on the orders of President Donald Trump, was illegally appointed by the US Justice Department.
The decision dismissed two cases that Trump had publicly sought as he pressured the Justice Department to go after high-profile figures who had criticized him and investigate their conduct.
Why was Halligan not considered suitable for the purpose?
Trump’s former personal attorney, Halligan, was named interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September, taking over both cases despite having no previous experience in prosecution.
Monday’s ruling came as Comey and James both accused the Justice Department of violating the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution and federal law when it appointed Halligan.
Judge Currie found that Halligan had “no legal authority” to bring charges against the accused.
However, Curry dismissed the cases “without prejudice”, meaning the Justice Department will have the opportunity to seek new indictments with a different prosecutor.
Curry wrote that in appointing Halligan, the Justice Department had committed an “unlawful exercise of executive power.”
What have been the reactions of Comey and James?
“I am extremely pleased with today’s win and am grateful for the prayers and support I have received from across the country,” James said in a statement. His attorney, Abbey Lovell, said James “will continue to challenge any further politically motivated charges through every legal means available.”
Meanwhile, Comey said in a video posted to Instagram that he was “grateful that the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malice and incompetence and reflects what the Justice Department has become under Donald Trump.”
Edited by: Wesley Dockery