New York Attorney General Letitia James’ attorney Abbe Lowell interpreted a Virginia grand jury’s recent refusal to issue new mortgage fraud indictments as “a decisive rejection of a case that should never have existed.” According to EFE, the decision marks the second consecutive time that the US Justice Department has failed in its attempts to strengthen the case against James, who has an adversarial relationship with former President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, Virginia’s grand jury declined to bring further indictments against the attorney general, a legal setback for efforts pushed largely by Trump’s political allies. According to EFE, this decision was announced a week after a judge dismissed the initial accusation of alleged misconduct in the appointment of the prosecutor in charge of the case.
As EFE reported, the original indictment stated that Letitia James allegedly obtained favorable terms on a mortgage loan by declaring that one of the houses would be used as a second home, even though, according to prosecutors, she had offered it for rent. The complaints were pushed by Bill Pulte, who heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and is identified by the media as a Trump ally.
The Justice Department’s failure to reinstate the charges was described by analysts and described by EFE as an atypical situation within the US justice system. That outcome represents a significant obstacle for former President Trump, who made the case a personal priority in response to the civil fraud lawsuit filed by James against him and his real estate group in New York.
Despite the grand jury’s negative response, government officials did not rule out making new attempts to revive the allegation or appealing the earlier court decision that invalidated the first attempt, according to EFE. At the same time, the Justice Department continues to defend the legitimacy and propriety of its procedures and appointments related to the case.
According to EFE, prosecutor James, for his part, has denied all allegations and publicly claimed that the trial was a response to a strategy of political retaliation formulated by the Trump administration. In the most recent phase of the proceedings, the Ministry of Justice resorted to appointing an external prosecutor to support the reopening of the case, but without success.
In parallel with the trial in Virginia, Letitia James is also facing another independent investigation in New York. According to EFE, this investigation is being led by John Sarcone, the acting prosecutor who was also appointed during the Trump administration and whose legal authority to act is being questioned by James’ defense.
Later Thursday, Judge Lorna Schofield heard arguments regarding Sarcone’s ability to issue grand jury subpoenas. So far, the judge has not announced when a decision will be made on this aspect of the procedure, EFE added.
These court events are part of the intensifying legal disputes between Letitia James and Donald Trump’s entourage. The mortgage fraud case and the additional investigations in New York come in a context characterized by overlapping allegations of political motivations and disputes over the authority and legality in the management of the cases.
The Virginia grand jury’s decision represents a new point of friction in the confrontation between James and Trump-linked political and legal figures, according to EFE. The Justice Department’s persistence despite previous procedural setbacks suggests it is keen to maintain the possibility of resuming legal action, while James’ defense highlights the lack of reasons to support the allegations.