JUST IN: Grand Jury Reveals Letitia James’ Fate After DOJ Re-Files Indictment

The Justice Department came up empty Thursday in its bid to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, a stunning setback less than two weeks after the original case against her collapsed, a person familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Federal prosecutors had hoped a new grand jury would revive charges accusing James of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. She was previously indicted on those counts before the case was tossed, and she has long been a political lightning rod for President Donald Trump after winning a major fraud judgment against him.

James has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. After word broke that the grand jury refused to re-indict her, she blasted the case as another partisan abuse of power. “As I have said from the start, the charges against me are baseless. It is time for this unchecked weaponization of our justice system to stop,” she said.

“I am grateful to the members of the grand jury and humbled by the support I have received from across the country. Now, I will continue to do my job standing up for the rule of law and the people of New York,” she added.

The first indictment unraveled when a judge ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and a former personal attorney to Trump, had been unlawfully appointed. Halligan, who had no prosecutorial experience, presented the case alone to the grand jury before it was voided on Nov. 24.

NYS Attorney General Letitia James attends a summit to discuss public safety at NAN House of Justice Headquarters in New York on January 5, 2023

The Justice Department initially vowed to appeal U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie’s ruling, but ultimately shifted strategy and attempted to secure a fresh indictment from a separate grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia. Different prosecutors handled the do-over.

Thursday’s failure does not prevent prosecutors from taking another shot, and a source cautioned that there “should be no premature celebrations” within James’ camp.

Prosecutors have also weighed reviving charges against former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted in October on allegations of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation. Currie dismissed that case the same day she threw out the charges against James.

Trump tapped Halligan to run the Eastern District on Sept. 20 after pushing out his previous pick, Erik Siebert, who resisted efforts to prosecute Comey and James. The move came days after Trump publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against his political foes.

“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,” Trump said.

“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he continued, praising Halligan as “a really good lawyer.”

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