Attorney General Pam Bondi struck a defiant tone Monday after a federal judge threw out the Department of Justice’s criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Hours after the ruling, she pledged to take “all available legal action” and launch an immediate appeal.
The collapse of both cases came from a single fault line. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney who brought the indictments, had been unlawfully appointed. That procedural flaw, she said, left the prosecution without legal standing. With that, the charges were tossed without prejudice, leaving Bondi vowing to salvage the high-stakes effort.
Bondi, standing before cameras at a press conference, said the ruling only strengthened her resolve. “We’ll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct,” she said, arguing the cases themselves remained justified despite the procedural collapse.
The now-dismissed indictments accused Comey of obstructing a congressional investigation and giving false testimony to the Senate in 2020. James faced allegations of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. Both denied wrongdoing from the outset, calling the charges politically motivated.
Comey emerged from the ruling with sharp words for the Trump-led Justice Department. In a video statement, he said he hoped the decision sent a clear message to President Donald Trump that the DOJ “cannot be used to target political enemies.” He called the prosecution “malevolence and incompetence,” and said the case reflected what the department had become under Trump, adding that the transformation was “heartbreaking.”
Letitia James also celebrated the dismissal, saying she felt vindicated after months of fighting what she described as baseless accusations. She vowed to stay “fearless” and continue working for New Yorkers “every single day.”
Despite the fiery responses from both former defendants, the Monday ruling leaves the DOJ — and Bondi — in a precarious position. The judge’s findings did not address the merits of either case, focusing solely on the legality of Halligan’s appointment. That opens the door for the department to try again, though any renewed prosecution will begin under the cloud of Monday’s rebuke.
For now, Bondi is promising a full-fledged push to revive the charges. Comey and James, meanwhile, are treating the court’s decision as a clean break. The politics, however, are only escalating.
