Attorney General Pam Bondi has delivered the latest — and most humiliating — twist in President Donald Trump’s crusade to prosecute his political rivals, potentially sinking her own career in the process.
A federal judge has thrown out all criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, citing Bondi’s flagrant abuse of power and misconduct in appointing an unqualified prosecutor.
The ruling reignited demands for Bondi’s disbarment after Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Trump’s handpicked choice — Lindsey Halligan, a former beauty pageant contestant and his personal attorney who had never tried a case — was illegally installed as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Because Halligan was the sole signor of the indictments, the judge declared the entire prosecution void.
“All actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment … constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside,” Currie wrote in a scathing decision.
Bondi tried to salvage the cases with what legal observers and critics called a “time-travel scheme,” backdating a special-attorney order to make it appear legally valid.
To cover Halligan’s unauthorized status, Bondi signed an order on October 31 — but backdated it to September 22, days before Comey was indicted. Defense attorneys blasted the move as an effort to “bend space and time” to prosecute political enemies. Judge Currie rejected it outright: “The Government has identified no authority allowing the Attorney General to reach back in time and rewrite a past appointment.”
The professional backlash was instant. Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb said Bondi’s conduct merited disbarment, noting she twice submitted sworn affirmations defending Halligan’s role. “The evidence shows she lied — or she’s equally incompetent,” Cobb said. “More likely, she lied.”
On social media, the reaction was explosive.
“She’s going to jail. And will be disbarred. She’s Giuliani in waiting,” predicted one user on Threads.
Another user, anticipating the consequences, declared: “You are definitively going to be disbarred, Ms. Bondi. And you may become the 2nd US Attorney General to be convicted and incarcerated.”
Questions about accountability mounted online. “Who’s going to hold Bondi accountable for malicious prosecution and obstruction of justice?” and “Man…. at this point, she WANTS to go to prison.”
Many turned their focus to Trump’s role. “He needs to start hiring lawyers with brains instead of Botox,” one critic posted. Another added: “They embarrassed themselves with these cases. Let it go.”
Despite the ruling and the firestorm, the Justice Department, under Bondi’s direction, showed defiance.
Even after the dismissal, the DOJ issued internal emails instructing staff to continue signing criminal indictments with Halligan’s name, labeling the judge’s decision “premature,” in what was widely seen as a flagrant violation of a court order, according to The New Republic.
In a press briefing, Bondi doubled down, defending Halligan as an “excellent U.S. attorney,” and aggressively dismissed Comey’s accusation that Trump uses the DOJ to target political enemies. Bondi claimed Comey was “charged with a very serious crime” and that his alleged actions were a “betrayal of public trust.”
However, the dismissal leaves the Justice Department with limited options. While the charges were dismissed without prejudice, allowing the DOJ to potentially refile, the statute of limitations for the alleged crimes in the Comey case is widely considered to have expired, making a second prosecution nearly impossible.
Both targeted officials issued sharp responses. Letitia James thanked the court for dismantling the “baseless charges.” Comey, in an Instagram video, condemned the DOJ’s “malevolence and incompetence,” warning: “A message has to be sent that the president of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies.”
“I am heartened by today’s victory,” James added. “I remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for New Yorkers every single day.”
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