James laments Trump’s “weaponization” of the justice system after the second failed attempt to prosecute her at the federal level.
Published on December 5, 2025
A federal grand jury has rejected prosecutors’ attempt to revive one Criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge previously rejected charges against the prominent critic of US President Donald Trump.
Thursday’s indictment marks the Justice Department’s second failed attempt to prosecute James, an elected Democrat against whom Trump vowed to retaliate after her office launched a civil fraud case against him and his family business.
Recommended Stories
List of 3 itemsEnd of the list
In November, U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed a mortgage fraud case against James after finding that the federal prosecutor who brought the charges, Lindsey Halligan, had been unlawfully appointed.
James has claimed that attempts to prosecute her are blatantly political. On Thursday, she again said the allegations against her were “baseless” and called for “the uncontrolled weaponization of our justice system to stop.”
Her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said any attempt to proceed with the case would represent “a shocking attack on the rule of law and a devastating blow to the integrity of our justice system.”
“The grand jury’s refusal to re-indict Attorney General James is a resounding rejection of a case that should never have existed in the first place,” Lowell said in a statement.
Despite the grand jury’s decision, federal prosecutors reportedly still plan to file a new indictment against James, Reuters news agency reported, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Vow of Vengeance
After James’ office filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, a judge ordered him to pay a fine in 2024 $450 million fine after discovering he had fraudulently overstated his net worth to mislead lenders.
A New York state appeals court in August threw out the sentence but upheld the judge’s finding that Trump was responsible for fraud.
Trump has repeatedly said the case was part of a political “witch hunt” against him that has since involved four:dropped Criminal proceedings after his first term in office.
James is one of three prominent Trump critics to be indicted in federal criminal charges in recent months, along with former FBI Director James Comey and former Trump national security adviser John Bolton.
There was also a case against Comey, who led an investigation into alleged collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia Released at the end of November by Judge Currie citing the same illegal appointment of Halligan.
Bolton has pleaded not guilty Federal charges against him sharing sensitive government information with two relatives and keeping “documents, writings and notes” containing classified material.
