Grand Jury Rejects Re-Indictment Of NY Attorney General Letitia James

NEW YORK — A grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia declined to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges.

According to the Associated Press and multiple reports, the Justice Department brought the matter back to a grand jury after charges were dismissed in late November.

“As I have said from the start, the charges against me are baseless. It is time for this unchecked weaponization of our justice system to stop," James said in a statement Thursday. "I am grateful to the members of the grand jury and humbled by the support I have received from across the country. Now, I will continue to do my job standing up for the rule of law and the people of New York."

A federal judge dismissed the criminal cases against James as well as former FBI Director James Comey on November 24, according to multiple reports.

According to the Associated Press, the judge concluded that the prosecutor who brought the charges at President Donald Trump’s urging was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.

James was indicted on mortgage fraud charges on Oct. 9 and pleaded not guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution.

James called the charges "baseless" and added: "The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties.

"His decision to fire a United States Attorney who refused to bring charges against me — and replace them with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law, but to the president — is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country. This is the time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak out against this blatant perversion of our system of justice."

A spokesperson for the Eastern District of Virginia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The indictment came after President Donald Trump's recent demand that the Department of Justice move to charge his "political enemies," ABC quoted sources as saying.

James, a second-term Democrat, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. She has said that she made an error while filling out a form related to the home purchase but rectified it quickly.