Judge Dismisses Criminal Case Against NY Attorney General

NEW YORK — A federal judge has dismissed the criminal cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James as well as former FBI Director James Comey, 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 denied wrongdoing. She has said that she made an error while filling out a form related to the home purchase but rectified it quickly.