The Justice Department said it will appeal rulings that threw out criminal cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, according to a Reuters report.
The decision comes after federal judges dismissed both cases on procedural grounds, creating legal roadblocks for prosecutors seeking to revive charges against two figures President Donald Trump has long described as political adversaries.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the appeal in public comments reported by Sky News, saying the administration believes the dismissals were wrongly decided and that the Justice Department is acting within its authority to seek review.
Leavitt said the administration rejects claims that the prosecutions were retaliatory and described the appeals as necessary to ensure accountability and equal application of the law.
In the case of James, prosecutors charged the New York attorney general with bank fraud and making false statements connected to mortgage-related financial disclosures, according to court filings summarized by Reuters and Bloomberg Law.
A federal judge dismissed the indictment after ruling that the interim U.S. attorney who brought the case had been improperly appointed, invalidating the prosecution despite not addressing the merits of the allegations.
James has been characterized by Trump and his supporters as a committed political antagonist because she made opposition to Trump a central theme of her campaigns for office.
As New York attorney general, James sued Trump and the Trump Organization in a sweeping civil fraud case and repeatedly accused Trump of criminal conduct, actions Trump has said were motivated by partisan hostility rather than evidence.
Trump has pointed out that James publicly pledged to “get Trump” while running for office, a statement his allies cite as proof she abandoned neutrality in favor of political targeting.
The Justice Department argues that dismissing the case on appointment grounds allowed a technicality to shield alleged misconduct from judicial scrutiny.
The Comey case centered on charges that the former FBI director made false statements and mishandled official records following his departure from government.
A judge dismissed that case after ruling that evidence prosecutors relied on had been improperly retained without a valid warrant and that parts of the case may have exceeded the statute of limitations.
Comey has long been viewed by Trump supporters as a symbol of institutional bias against Trump, beginning with his role in overseeing the FBI’s Russia investigation during the 2016 election.
As FBI director, Comey authorized investigative steps Trump later said were based on unverified allegations and politically driven narratives.
Trump fired Comey in 2017, citing loss of confidence, a decision that sparked years of investigations and elevated Comey into a prominent Trump critic.
Comey later published a memoir and gave interviews portraying Trump as unfit for office, reinforcing perceptions among Trump voters that he acted as a political opponent rather than a neutral law enforcement official.
Justice Department officials said in appellate filings that allowing dismissals to stand would set a precedent preventing prosecutions of powerful officials based on procedural missteps unrelated to guilt or innocence.
The department said the appeals are meant to clarify appointment authority and preserve the government’s ability to pursue cases involving senior public figures.
Attorneys for James and Comey have accused the administration of politicizing the Justice Department, claims the White House has rejected.
Trump allies argue the appeals mark a shift from years in which investigations targeting Trump moved forward aggressively while scrutiny of his critics stalled or collapsed.
The appellate court is expected to set a briefing schedule in the coming weeks.
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