Relief for the two targets of the American president’s revenge. A federal judge on Monday threw out two indictments brought by Donald Trump, against former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
Donald Trump has repeatedly stated during his election campaign about his desire to take revenge on everyone he considers personal enemies.
James Comey, 64, on September 25 became the first person to be indicted since his return to power, before Letitia James, 67, on October 9.
Invalid nomination
A federal judge on Monday overturned the appointment of Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor chosen by Donald Trump, who initiated this process, and consequently declared a waiver of due process in both cases.
In a hearing last week, the judge was highly skeptical of the legality of the prosecutor’s appointment, and promised to deliver a decision on the issue by Thanksgiving, November 27.
However, the judge gave the Justice Ministry the possibility of filing new charges in both cases, but in the case of James Comey, the deadline for the facts alleged against him expired at the end of September.
“Personal grudge”
James Comey and Letitia James filed another appeal to overturn the process, arguing that the lawsuit was motivated solely by the US president’s “personal vendetta.” Courts have not yet ruled on these arguments.
In September, Donald Trump publicly pressured Justice Secretary Pam Bondi by expressing surprise on his Truth Social platform that James Comey and Letitia James had still not been indicted, as did a Democratic senator.
After encouraging the attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to resign, the Republican president quickly replaced him in the strategic position with Lindsey Halligan, a White House counsel.
Trump’s conviction overturned
Another pet peeve of Donald Trump, his former national security adviser in his first term, John Bolton, was impeached on October 16 for disclosing and concealing documents related to national defense.
James Comey was accused of lying under oath by denying, in response to a senator’s question, having allowed his deputy to be quoted anonymously in the media regarding a sensitive investigation conducted by the FBI.
James Comey was abruptly fired during Donald Trump’s first term in 2017, when federal police were investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
Letitia James was the target of two counts of making false statements when obtaining a bank loan. He fined Donald Trump nearly half a billion dollars in February 2024. His fraud conviction was overturned in August by a New York State appeals court, which deemed the fine “excessive,” and he appealed the decision.
