"A top prosecutor in Virginia has informed colleagues she plans to decline to seek charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, resisting intense pressure from President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with her discussions. Elizabeth Yusi, who oversees major criminal prosecutions in the Norfolk office of the Eastern District of Virginia, has confided to co-workers that she sees no probable cause to believe James engaged in mortgage fraud, the two sources told MSNBC."
"Yusi plans to present her conclusion to the president's new interim U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, in the coming weeks, they said. While it is true that Halligan landed a flimsy, last-minute indictment against Comey, it seems that the career prosecutors in the office would rather maintain their careers than take it on. There are serious consequences for prosecutors who bring frivolous cases to court."
"And the case against James is a few light-years distant from merely being frivolous. Career prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia also fear their colleagues will be pressured to seek an indictment against James, or risk being fired, the two people familiar with internal discussions said. Halligan has been closely monitoring progress on the case, these people said. Such preliminary charging decisions are normally recommended by line prosecutors who would be sifting through the facts in the investigation and would report to Yusi."
A top Norfolk prosecutor, Elizabeth Yusi, plans to decline seeking charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding no probable cause for mortgage fraud. Yusi intends to present her conclusion to interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan in the coming weeks. Halligan previously secured a last-minute indictment against James Comey, but career prosecutors view that case as flimsy and are reluctant to pursue politically charged prosecutions. Prosecutors fear pressure to bring charges or face firing, and supervisors have taken steps to protect staff who handled grand jury matters. Preliminary charging decisions are normally made by line prosecutors reporting to Yusi.
#lindsey-halligan #letitia-james #prosecutorial-independence #eastern-district-of-virginia #political-pressure
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