Federal judge dismisses indictments against Letitia James and James Comey, saying Lindsey Halligan appointment was unlawful

Holmes Lybrand, Devan Cole, CNN

Updated: 1:05 PM EST, Mon November 24, 2025

A federal judge dismissed the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday.

The judge found that the appointment of interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Alexandria, Virginia, was invalid.

Trump handpicked Halligan for the role amid increasing pressure to bring criminal cases against his political enemies, including Comey and James.

“The Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern Territories Eastern District of Virginia== was invalid,” Judge Cameron McGowan Currie wrote in her Monday order.

According to Currie, “all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment”including the indictments against Comey and James “were unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside.”

The judge tossed out the cases “without prejudice,” leaving open the possibility that the cases against Comey and James can be brought again alleging the same conduct.

CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Halligan, a former White House adviser, was selected for the role after the Trump administration pushed out the previous interim US attorney amid increasing pressure to bring cases against Comey and James.

In the cases against Comey — which Halligan brought before a grand jury just days after her appointment — and James, defense attorneys argued the 120-day period that an interim US attorney is allowed to serve prior to confirmation from the Senate or approval from the district’s judges had already expired when Halligan took the position.

This, they said, meant that Halligan’s appointment was unlawful.

Currie, in her order, wrote that unlawful appointment should “invalidate” Halligan’s actions — including presenting those two indictments to grand juries.

Prosecutors who work under Halligan argued Attorney General Pam Bondi has full authority to appoint whomever she wantsto the position as long as they are qualified, and that the 120-day period serves as a sort of check-in system for those interim US Attorneys appointed.

“The implications of a contrary conclusion are extraordinary,” Currie wrote of the Halligan appointment. “It would mean the Government could send any private citizen off the street — attorney or not — into the grand jury room to secure an indictment so long as the Attorney General gives her approval after the fact. That cannot be the law. “

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The Deep State are really the judges and courtsThey captured it 30 years ago or much more!

https://lite.cnn.com/2025/11/24/politics/james-comey-letitia-james-indictments-dismissed

Judge dismisses cases against James Comey and Letitia James after finding prosecutor was unlawfully appointed

Lindsey Halligan was appointed after President Donald Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute the former FBI director and New York attorney general.

Nov. 24, 2025, 12:46 PM EST / Updated Nov. 24, 2025,1/3

A federal judge on Monday dismissed the criminal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James after finding the prosecutor who brought the cases, former Trumpattorney Lindsey Halligan, was not lawfully appointed.

U.S. District Judge Cameron Curriesaid that she agreed with Comey, who moved to dismiss the case on the grounds that Halligan's appointment was illegal

"Because Ms. Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment, I will grant Mr. Comey’s motion and dismiss the indictment," Currie wrote in finding that Halligan lacked the authority to present a case to a grand jury.

"All actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, were unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside,"the judge wrote, describing the insurance lawyer as "a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience."

She issued a separate, similar rulingdismissing the James case.

“This case presents the unique, if not unprecedented, situation where an unconstitutionally appointed prosecutor, 'exercising power [she] did not lawfully possess,’… acted alone in conducting a grand jury proceeding and securing an indictment,” the ruling said.

Because Halligan, who was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia at President Donald Trump's direction,was the only prosecutor to present the cases and sign the indictments, the indictments should be voided, the judge found.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

==James praised (and cackled in bizarre joy) the ruling in a statement.pp

“I am heartened by today’s victory and grateful for the prayers and support I have received from around the country. I remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for New Yorkers every single day,” James said.

Both indictments were dismissed "without prejudice," meaning they could be brought again at a later time.

Comey and James have other motions pending before the judges presiding over their cases,contending the charges should be dismissed because they are the result of a “selective and vindictive” prosecution. Those motions seek to have the cases tossed "with prejudice," meaning prosecutors could not revive them. (Oh like Comey and James who prosecuted Trump with selective and vindictive prosecution?)

The invalidation of Halligan’s appointment was fatal to the Comey and James indictments because of the unique role Halligan played in the cases against two of Trump’s political enemies,but it could have ripple effectson other cases that were handled under more typical processes.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/judge-dismisses-cases-james-comey-letitia-james-finding-prosecutor-was-rcna244775

>>23897230

2/3

A similar ruling disqualifying Alina Habba as the U.S. attorney in New Jersey has resulted in a number of criminal cases brought under her leadership being stuck in legal limbo while she appeals the decision.

Currie seemed largely skeptical of the Justice Department's position at a rare joint hearing on the issue with lawyers for Comey and James on Nov. 13, where a prosecutor portrayed questions about Halligan's appointment as "a paperwork error."

Comey's attorney said it was much more than that, and a "fatal flaw" in the prosecution of his client.

Comey was indicted on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation, while James was indicted on charges of bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution. Both had pleaded not guilty.

In a highly unusual move, Halligan was the lone prosecutor to present their cases to the grand jury and the lone prosecutor to sign their indictments.Other prosecutors in her office had recommended against charging Comey and Jamesbecause they didn't believe there was enough evidence to secure convictions, NBC News previously reported.

Trump said he was naming Halligan U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia on Sept. 20 — the day after he forced out his initial pick, Erik Siebert. Siebert had resisted pressure to prosecute Comey and James.

Halligan's appointment was immediately viewed as problematicbecause, according to federal statute, people in that post may serve for only 120 days after being appointed U.S. attorney, unless confirmed by the Senate before then.

The Senate had not confirmed Siebert, so federal judges ofthe Eastern District of Virginia exercised their independent appointment authority to keep him on beyond the 120-day limit.

Lawyers for Comey and James contended that after Siebert was forced out, the responsibility for naming his replacement belonged to the judges, not Attorney General Pam Bondi. To rule otherwise, Comey's attorney said in a filing, would render the 120-day period "meaningless, and the Attorney General could indefinitely evade the alternate procedures that Congress mandated."

The Justice Department maintained that Halligan's appointment was valid since the office was vacant after Siebert's departure. The "Senate has not refused advice and consent to Ms. Halligan — her nomination remains pending. The Attorney General therefore lawfully appointed Ms. Halligan as interim U.S. Attorney" and "the motions to dismiss should be denied," the Justice Department said in a filing.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/judge-dismisses-cases-james-comey-letitia-james-finding-prosecutor-was-rcna244775

>>23897234

3/3

Trump's Truth Social post naming Halligan to the position came the day after Siebert was forced out — and shortly after another social media postwhere he publicly urged Bondi to push ahead with prosecutions of Comey, James and another perceived political adversary, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.

"Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, 'same old story as last time, all talk, no action.Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,'” said the post, which a source previously confirmed to NBC Newshad been intended as a direct message to Bondi, not a public post.

="We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility==," Trump continued, while praising Halligan as "a really good lawyer."

Five days after the post, Halligan, who had no prosecutorial experience, presented the Comey case to a grand jury.The presentation came days before a five-year statute of limitations on the charges was set to expire.

Currie, a Bill Clinton appointee who is based in South Carolina, heard the arguments on the disqualification issueinstead of a judge from the Eastern District of Virginia since local judges would be involved in selecting Halligan's replacement

The Trump administration's stance on the 120-day rule has led to U.S. attorneys in California and Nevada being disqualified as well. The Justice Department is appealing those rulings.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/judge-dismisses-cases-james-comey-letitia-james-finding-prosecutor-was-rcna244775

The DS think they won, now it avalanche time

JESSICA VAUGHAN: Consular Officers In India Issued ~200 H-1B Visas A Day That Were 80-90% Fraudulent

5:27

https://rumble.com/embed/v700470/?pub=4

>>23897248

DR. DAVE BRAT: 71% Of H-1B Visas Come From India. The National Cap Is 85,000, Yet One Indian District Got 220,000! That's 2.5x The Limit!

==The war is not over to stop this, those who illegally approve this, expose them and kick them out.)

5:57

https://rumble.com/embed/v7004ok/?pub=4

>>23897248

People at DOS are approving visa and tell India keep sending them into the U.S. the DOS needs to be exorcized today, without the Secretary Rubio knowing

STEINHAUSER: Frontier Labs Admit They Can’t Even Control Today’s AI Models. What Happens When Capabilities Explode And Machines Get Far Smarter? We’re Heading Into Terrifying Territory With Zero SafeguardsParents WW need to block AI to all children.

6:03

https://rumble.com/embed/v7003mw/?pub=4

JOHN SOLOMON: President Trump Praised Zohran Mamdani To Confuse And Damage Him With His Own Radical Socialist/Islamist Base In New York(Interesting because he can lose a solid base of the stupid. His Trump hatred was probably why they voted for him, and now they are allies. Great strategy!)

5:35

https://rumble.com/embed/v7003d6/?pub=4

RICHARD BARIS: The Polling On Israel Is The Real Headline: YoungAmerica First Voters (25-29) Now Sympathize More With Palestinians Than With Israel. Under 50 America First Identifiers See Gaza As A Genocide By +8(even a large portion of Israel thinks it was a genocide, which is still happening)

13:07

https://rumble.com/embed/v7002ho/?pub=4

EDUARDO BOLSONARO: Alexandre De Moraes Wants To Kill My Father, Jair Bolsonaro, In Jail. That’s The Goal

13:24

https://rumble.com/embed/v7000u0/?pub=4

24 Nov, 2025 16:22

Arms industry investors in panic over Ukraine peace talks

Shares of weapons giant Rheinmetall have slumped after Washington proposed terms to Kiev to end hostilities (It was always the plan of MIC and ally countries to make more money from the war.)

The prospect of a possible peace in Ukrainehas caused “panic” among investors in the German defense industry, sending stocks of arms manufacturers such as Rheinmetall tumbling.

The US reportedly handed Kiev a 28-point peace proposal last week and gave it until Thursday to respond. The framework was discussed in Geneva on Sunday, with US President Donald Trump saying afterwards that “something good” may be happening.

The peace push immediately unnerved investors, triggering a fierce sell-off of shares in Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms manufacturer and a key supplier of military equipment to Kiev.Rheinmetall stock has fallen by over 14% over the past five days, with defense-electronics producer Hensoldt recording a similar drop.

“Investors fear that an end to hostilities could also mean the end of the “super-cycle” for defense stocks,” Boerse-Express wrote.

Germany has become Kiev’s second-largest arms provider after the US, and Rheinmetall, which produces tanks, artillery systems, and ammunition, recently reported surging profits for the first nine months of 2025, alongside a record order backlog driven by the conflict and rising EU military budgets. Company shares have climbed nearly 2,000% since fighting escalated almost four years ago.

During the previous US attempt to broker peace in February, RheinmetallCEO Armin Papperger argued that even if the fighting were to end, it would be “wrong” for Europe to assume “a peaceful future.” In 2024, the company announced plans to build four manufacturing plants in Ukraine.

The broader European defense sector has been expanding at roughly three times its pre-2022 pace, Financial Times reported in August. Western leaders claim the accelerated buildup is needed to meet NATO readiness targets, maintain arms deliveries to Kiev, and deter what they describe as a potential Russian threat.

Moscow has called such claims “absurd” fearmongering aimed at justifying increased military spending and condemned what it calls the West’s “reckless militarization.”

(We knew the MIC would try to destroy peace)

https://www.rt.com/business/628322-rheinmetall-shares-fall-ukraine-peace/

24 Nov, 2025 19:44

Macron poised to reintroduce voluntary military service – Le Figaro

France needs “a strong army,” the president has said, citing an alleged Russian threat (that’s why Macron will not let Russia in the G20, it’s all about war and money)

French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to roll out a new voluntary military service scheme this week, according to Le Figaro. The proposal was first floated by the French leader in July in response to what he described as a “lasting threat” from Russia – something Moscow has dismissed as nonsense.

The newspaper reported the plan is for a ten-month voluntary service option with compensation, without providing further details on how it would differ from current military service. France suspended conscription in 1997 under then President Jacques Chirac, opting for a fully professional, all-volunteer force.

“In a world of uncertainty and rising tensions… France must continue to be a strong nation with a strong army,” Macron said on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa.

Up to 50,000 people could eventually pass through the program each year, Le Figaro wrote, citing government sources.

France’s effort to expand its armed forces follows similar moves by other EU states since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

Poland has rolled out a paid voluntary basic military service. Germany has approved a new military-service model that could shift to selective conscription if volunteer numbers fall short. The Netherlands is engaged in a public debate over potential reintroduction of the draft. Other countries like Latvia and Croatia have reinstated compulsory military service, while Denmark has expanded the draft to include women.

General Fabien Mandon, chief of staff of the armed forces, recently argued that France should not ignore this broader European trend, noting that several of its neighbors are “in the process of reintroducing a national service.”

France has been among the strongest backers of Kiev since the conflict with Russia began, providing weapons, training, and political support.

Russia has condemned what it calls the EU’s “reckless militarization,” describing increased defense spending in the bloc as a distraction from internal woes. (Europe should have built their army in 1959, but they depended on America. Thats not going to work anymore. That picture of Macron is ridiculous and shows his stupid arrogance)

https://www.rt.com/news/628329-macron-france-voluntary-military-service/

JAMES RICKARDS: I Watched The Comments Made By The “Seditious Six” Democrats. There’s No Other Way To Read It; They’re Openly Messaging The Military To Disobey Orders From President Trump

9:13

https://rumble.com/embed/v70023g/?pub=4

Pentagon Says It’s Investigating Sen. Mark Kelly After Video Urging Troops to Defy ‘Illegal Orders'Nov 24, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says that it isinvestigating Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for possible breaches of military lawafter Kelly joined a handful of other lawmakers in a video that called for U.S. troops to refuse unlawful orders.

The Pentagon’s statement, which was posted on social media on Monday,cited a federal law that allows retired servicemembers to be recalled to active dutyon orders of the defense secretary. Kelly served in the US Navy as a fighter pilot before going on to become an astronaut. He retired at the rank of Captain.

It is extraordinary for the Pentagon, which until the second Trump term has usually gone out of its way to act and appear apolitical, to directly threated a sitting member of Congress.

In its statement, the Pentagonsuggested that Kelly’s statements in the video interfered with the “loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces” by citing the federal law that prohibits such actions.

“A thorough review of these allegations has been initiatedto determine further actions, which mayinclude recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures,” the statement said.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/11/24/pentagon-says-its-investigating-sen-mark-kelly-after-video-urging-troops-defy-illegal-orders.html

Do the rest of them, including Slotkin etc. The CIA agent was so sure she could get away with it.

Top US military adviser visits Caribbean as Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela

The nation’s top military officer is visiting American troops Monday in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in the region, where the U.S. has amassed an unusually large fleet of warships and has been attacking alleged drug-smuggling boats.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Donald Trump’s primary military adviser, will be joined by David L. Isom, the senior enlisted adviser to Caine. Caine’s office said in a statement that the men will “engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions.”

This will be Caine’s second visit to the region since the U.S. military started building up its presence, which now includes the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier. Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethcame to Puerto Rico in September after ships carrying hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived for what officials said was a training exercise.

Hegseth said then that the deployed Marines were “on the front lines of defending the American homeland.”

Caine’s visit this week comes as Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela, which he has not ruled out as part of his administration’s escalating campaign to combat drug trafficking into the U.S. The buildup of American warships and the strikes, which have killed more than 80 people on 21 alleged drug boats, are seen by many as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to resign.

The Trump administration also is ramping up pressure by designating the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, as a foreign terrorist organization, although the entity that the U.S. government alleges is led by Maduro is not a cartel per se.

Until this year, the label of foreign terrorist organization had been reserved for groups like the Islamic State or al-Qaida that use violence for political ends. The Trump administration applied it in February to eight Latin American criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and other activities.

The administration blames such designated groups for operating the boats it is striking but rarely identifies the organizations and has not provided any evidence.

Hegseth said last week that the designation of Cartel de los Soles will provide a “whole bunch of new options to the United States” for dealing with Maduro. In an interview with conservative news outlet OAN, Hegseth did not provide details on what those options are and declined to say whether the U.S. military planned to strike land targets inside Venezuela.

“So nothing is off the table, but nothing’s automatically on the table,” he said.

https://www.stripes.com/theaters/americas/2025-11-24/top-military-adviser-visits-caribbean-19872107.html

24 Nov, 2025 18:49

Moscow comments on status of Ukraine peace plan

Early drafts are likely to be heavily modified, an aide to President Putin has said

Russia is currently reviewing the US-drafted peace plan to end the conflict between Moscow and Kiev =•and expects it to be heavily modified by all the interested parties, presidential aide Yury Ushakov told journalists on Monday.“Many” parts of the original US proposal “appear to be acceptable” to Moscow, he added.

Washington presented its plan to both Moscow and Kiev earlier this month. The details of the proposal have not been officially revealed by the media,but reports suggest that it includes de facto recognition of Russian control over Crimea and Donbass, a cap on Kiev’s military and a call on Ukraine to stay out of NATO.

According to Ushakov,Russia has received a “signal” from the US that Washington would like to do discuss the proposal in a face-to-face meeting at some point, but there are no definite arrangements yet.

“It will, of course, be subject to revision and modification – on our side, and surely on the Ukrainian side as well, and on the American and European sides.This is a very serious issue,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already said that the US proposal could become the “basis of the final peace settlement.”

The EU presented its own set of demands for a future peace deal over the weekendthat appear to go against the reported provisions of the original US-drafted proposal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on Sunday that no cap should be placed on Kiev’s militaryand that the EU should be given a “central” role in the peace settlement. Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed “by force,”she added.(this has happened through all of history, she just can’t make something up that is not true!)

Commenting on the development on Monday, Ushakovbranded the EU conditions “unconstructive” and said that Russia could not accept them.

American officials discussed Washington’s original plan with the EU and Ukrainian representatives in Geneva on Sunday. According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a “tremendous amount of progress” was made on the issue but Moscow’s support would also be essential for any deal to hold.

https://www.rt.com/russia/628333-moscow-status-ukraine-peace-deal/

(What’s funny, isthe EU thinks the have final say over the American to settle the war.The EU never wanted it. So they should STFU.)