WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing on Friday that it would appeal rulings tossing out criminal cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey after encountering obstacles in trying to revive prosecutions against two adversaries of President Donald Trump.
A federal judge last month dismissed both cases on the grounds that the prosecutor who brought them, Trump ally Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed as interim U.S. Attorney for Virginia‘s Eastern District.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time the Justice Department would appeal the ruling, but prosecutors first considered bringing new indictments in both cases.
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Two grand juries rejected a new indictment against James on mortgage-related charges. A different judge blocked prosecutors from using crucial evidence in the Comey probe, ruling that investigators had improperly seized records from a Comey lawyer and confidante.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; editing by Scott Malone)
