A lawyer for New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday sent President Donald Trump's Justice Department a stark message after grand jurors in Virginia failed to secure a re-indictment on allegations of mortgage fraud charges.
The news came after a judge tossed an initial indictment about 10 days earlier, declaring the appointment of the interim U.S. attorney overseeing the case unlawful.
James had faced federal charges on allegations of misrepresenting a Virginia property as a second home to secure better mortgage terms. She has denied the accusation as politically motivated.
And on Thursday night, her lawyer Abbe Lowell hit back at Trump's administration with a forceful statement.
"The grand jury's refusal to re-indict Attorney General James is a decisive rejection of a case that should never have existed in the first place," said Lowell.
Lowell noted that even career prosecutors refused to bring the charges against James, forcing Trump to unlawfully install a U.S. attorney to file "baseless charges."
"This should be the end of this case," said Lowell. "If they continue, undeterred by a court ruling and a grand jury's rejection of the charges, it will be a shocking assault on the rule of law and a devastating blow to the integrity of our justice system."
James followed up with a statement on X of her own, calling for the end of the weaponization of the justice system.
"As I've said from the start, these charges are baseless," she wrote. "It's time for the weaponization of our justice system to stop. I'm grateful to the members of the grand jury and humbled by the support I've received across the nation. I will keep doing my job standing up for New Yorkers."