US President Donald Trump has suffered defeat through legal attacks against his long-time opponents: A federal judge dismissed two lawsuits initiated by Trump against former FBI chief James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday. The reason given was that the Ministry of Justice had unlawfully appointed a responsible public prosecutor. The US Department of Justice announced it would appeal the decision.
The prosecutor is Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney. He was appointed acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September to take over the investigation. At that time, Halligan had no law enforcement experience
In late September, Trump asked the US Department of Justice to initiate legal proceedings against his personal opponents – in addition to James and Comey, also against former Trump security adviser John Bolton, who is said to have passed on classified information. Critics see this process as an example of Trump exerting targeted pressure on opponents and unpopular people.
Comey investigates Russian interference in Trump’s election campaign
Former FBI chief Comey is considered one of Trump’s main opponents. The 64-year-old investigated Russian interference in Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2017 and was later fired by Republicans. In late September, the US Department of Justice announced that Comey would be prosecuted for “serious violations related to the disclosure of sensitive information”.
Comey reacted with satisfaction to the federal judge’s decision. However, he did not expect this to be the end of the dispute. “I know (US President) Donald Trump will probably come after me again,” Comey said in a video posted online. He is innocent, has no fear and believes in an independent judiciary. He also hopes the case sends a clear signal: “The President of the United States should not abuse the Department of Justice to target his political opponents.”
“I’m still not afraid”
The 67-year-old New York Attorney General James, by contrast, has been leading a fraud case against Trump over mounting assets. Therefore, a civil court sentenced Trump to a fine of nearly half a billion dollars. An appeals court called the fine “excessive” and overturned the ruling in August. But James announced an appeal. In October, a grand jury indicted him on suspicion of mortgage fraud.
James also expressed relief at the latest court decision. “Today’s victory makes me confident,” said the Democratic Party politician. “I remain unafraid to face these baseless accusations and I continue to fight for the people of New York every day.”
