• A federal grand jury in Virginia declined to indict New York AG Letitia James for the second time in a week.
• The charges, linked to alleged mortgage fraud, faced significant skepticism from grand jurors.
• The dismissals are seen as a rebuke of the DOJ's attempts to pursue perceived political enemies of President Trump.
• A judge previously ruled that the lead prosecutor in the case was unlawfully appointed.
• James maintains that the allegations are politically motivated and has denied all wrongdoing.

A federal grand jury in Virginia has declined to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James for a second time in just one week, marking another significant blow to ongoing attempts by the Justice Department to pursue charges seen as politically motivated by President Donald Trump. The first grand jury, located in Norfolk, also refused to return an indictment, highlighting the unusual nature of these repeated rejections, as grand juries rarely decline to indict, according to ABC News and CBS News.

The Justice Department's efforts to refile the case faced skepticism from grand jurors, who were unwilling to endorse what prosecutors presented as a clear-cut criminal case. Judge Cameron Currie had previously dismissed the original indictment against James, determining that the prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed to her position, according to Reuters and HuffPost.

The charges against James revolve around allegations of mortgage fraud connected to her purchase of a home in 2020, which prosecutors claim she falsely classified as a second home rather than an investment property, thus securing favorable loan terms. James has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the case is a product of political retribution aimed at her due to her previous legal actions against Trump, as highlighted by BBC and South China Morning Post.

The fierce political backdrop complicates the situation, raising concerns about the misuse of government prosecution powers against political adversaries. As noted by James' lawyers, the attempted revival of these charges reflects poorly on the integrity of the Justice Department, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of the grand jury's rejections, which have raised questions about the motivations behind the prosecutions, according to Los Angeles Times and CBS News.