Potential Indictments for Comey and James Despite Legal Setbacks
On Monday, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley discussed the possibility of indictments for former FBI Director James Comey and New York’s Democratic Attorney General Letitia James. This comes after a judge indicated that the appointment of federal prosecutors might have been inappropriate.
James faced indictment in October on charges related to mortgage fraud concerning a property purchase in Virginia, while Comey was indicted in September for obstruction of Congress and lying. During an appearance on “America Report,” Turley suggested that the issues surrounding James’s indictment weren’t solely about the charges, but rather questioned the legitimacy of Lindsey Harrigan’s role as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“Letitia James might be celebrating a bit too early. The problem isn’t really the charges themselves,” Turley noted. “The court is not addressing whether she’s guilty or innocent—it’s the authority of the prosecutor who filed the complaint that’s in question. So, it might be wise to appoint someone who has the legal authority to carry out this role properly.”
He added that typically, after 120 days, a district court would appoint a new attorney to address such issues. “There are a lot of unknowns here. The next person stepping in might choose to appeal past decisions, even though they’re beyond their initial time frame. They might argue that there’s been a major shift in circumstances that justifies extending the timeline,” Turley stated.
Cameron Curry, a senior federal judge appointed by Clinton in the Eastern District of Virginia, ruled that Harrigan did not hold a proper appointment as interim U.S. attorney, as his predecessor, Eric Siebert, had already reached the 120-day limit when he was appointed.
“Everything seems to have unfolded rather quickly and without much careful planning regarding this indictment,” Turley remarked. “When Comey’s charges were brought, there appeared to be inconsistencies. Some charges were dropped, and others didn’t fully align. It was clear they had to rush to finalize this case, which likely didn’t sit well with the judge.”
