Letitia James has moved to dismiss her bank-fraud indictment, arguing that the prosecution was the product of "outrageous government conduct" allegedly directed by allies of former President Trump. Her 22-page motion accuses a "Trump-directed quartet" — Lindsey Halligan, Pam Bondi, Ed Martin and Bill Pulte — of pursuing charges despite thin evidence. The filing seeks grand-jury material and follows a magistrate judge's critical order in the related James Comey case, which is temporarily stayed. James and Comey have pleaded not guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia and are also challenging Halligan's appointment and alleging selective, vindictive prosecution.
Letitia James Moves to Toss Indictment, Citing 'Outrageous Government Conduct'
Letitia James has moved to dismiss her bank-fraud indictment, arguing that the prosecution was the product of "outrageous government conduct" allegedly directed by allies of former President Trump. Her 22-page motion accuses a "Trump-directed quartet" — Lindsey Halligan, Pam Bondi, Ed Martin and Bill Pulte — of pursuing charges despite thin evidence. The filing seeks grand-jury material and follows a magistrate judge's critical order in the related James Comey case, which is temporarily stayed. James and Comey have pleaded not guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia and are also challenging Halligan's appointment and alleging selective, vindictive prosecution.
02:27 AM, 11/19/2025Politics
Letitia James Moves to Toss Indictment, Citing 'Outrageous Government Conduct'
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a motion seeking dismissal of her bank-fraud indictment, arguing that the prosecution resulted from "outrageous government conduct" allegedly orchestrated by allies of former President Donald Trump.
In a 22-page filing submitted Monday, James' attorneys accused what they called a "Trump-directed quartet" — prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, conservative operative Ed Martin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte — of pursuing an indictment despite an "overwhelming lack of evidence or support from career prosecutors." The motion contends the prosecution violates AG James' due-process rights.
"Perhaps in no case before this Court has there been a more shocking course of government conduct," the filing states.
The filing arrived the same day a federal magistrate judge sharply criticized Halligan's conduct in the separate indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and ordered disclosure of all grand-jury materials to the defense — an order that is temporarily on hold while Halligan appeals.
James separately asked the court for grand-jury materials and raised questions about whether the grand jury was properly instructed, an issue underscored by the magistrate's observation in the Comey matter that Halligan, who had not previously tried a case, appeared to make "fundamental misstatements of the law" to the grand jury that returned that indictment.
Both Comey and James have pleaded not guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia. In addition to the outrageous-conduct claim, they are challenging the legality of Halligan's interim appointment to lead the Virginia office and asserting that their prosecutions are vindictive and selectively pursued. Those arguments — along with other pending motions to dismiss — provide multiple potential paths to avoid a trial.
James' latest motion emphasizes the extraordinary nature of her prosecution and adds another pretrial avenue that could result in dismissal if the court agrees with her grounds.
Originally published on MSNBC.com.