WASHINGTON, D.C. — The recent indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James mark a dangerous turning point for American democracy, Democracy Defenders Fund said today.

In a formal complaint filed today with the DOJ Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility which was also submitted to Congress, former White House ethics lawyers Richard Painter (Bush), Norman Eisen (Obama), and Virginia Canter (Clinton and Obama) note that the White House handpicked Lindsey Halligan, a loyalist with no prosecutorial experience, to bring criminal charges against Comey and James. Importantly, career prosecutors had already rejected indictments. Halligan was appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after Trump reportedly fired her predecessor for refusing to bring the cases.

The letter warns that these prosecutions are about settling scores and so implicate DOJ and professional ethics rules. If Congress and the Justice Department do not intervene, the letter states, “the rule of law in America may not survive a second Trump presidency.” The letters cite multiple DOJ prosecutorial standards and ethics rules, warning that these actions cross bright lines designed to protect Americans from politicized justice.

“These prosecutions are  a blatant authoritarian abuse of power,” said Amb (ret.) Norm Eisen, executive chair of DDF. “Trump and his loyalists have smashed through the guardrails against prosecutorial wrongdoing. They are contorting the Justice Department into a weapon to satisfy his grievances, without regard to law, facts or justice. It’s corrupt, dangerous and disgusting. DOJ’s internal watchdogs and Congress must investigate.”

“This kind of politically motivated prosecution is a threat not only to those targeted but to the entire justice system that depends on impartiality and integrity,” said Canter, chief counsel and director of ethics and anti-corruption at DDF. “If we allow this behavior to continue unchecked, we risk eroding the foundational rule of law that safeguards democracy itself. It is imperative that Congress and the Department of Justice act decisively to uphold these protections before the damage becomes irreversible.”

The letters more thoroughly outline the flimsiness of the charges against Comey and James as well as the potential ethics violations. Read them HERE and HERE

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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.