Has Trump's retribution campaign been derailed (for now)?

Americast

BBC

Politics, Government, News

4.2 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Trump administration is planning its next move after a major setback this week. Criminal cases against Trump’s two longtime political foes - former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James - were dismissed by a US federal judge. Judge Cameron Currie said that prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who was handpicked by Trump to bring the charges against two of his political adversaries, was never eligible to assume the post. Both Comey and James have maintained their innocence and described the prosecutions as political in nature. In this episode Anthony, Sarah and Marianna unpack the details of why the cases were thrown out of court, and what happens next. They also look at the growing politicisation of Trump’s justice department.

HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent

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This episode was made by Rufus Gray, Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was XXXXX. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:07.2	If you're the person always being asked, what's happening in the news?
0:10.9	You could do with a podcast wingman.
0:13.3	Newscast is just that, a little voice in your ear,
0:16.5	giving you a deeper understanding of what's going on in the world.
0:19.5	We won't even mind if you try and take the credit yourself.
0:22.4	Listen to Newscast every day on BBC Sounds.
0:26.1	This case mattered to me personally, obviously, but it matters most because a message has to be sent
0:32.2	that the President of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political
0:38.5	enemies. I don't care what your politics are. You have to see that as fundamentally un-American
0:44.5	and a threat to the rule of law that keeps all of us free. I know that Donald Trump will
0:50.6	probably come after me again, and my attitude is going to be the same.
0:54.9	I'm innocent.
0:56.6	I am not afraid.
1:00.2	And I believe in an independent federal judiciary.
1:04.7	The gift from our founders that protects us from a would-be tyrant.
1:09.1	That was the defiant message from Donald Trump's longtime political foe, the former director of the FBI, James Comey.
1:11.8	Donald Trump had vigorously pursued criminal cases against him and against the New York Attorney General, Letitia James.
1:18.6	But yesterday, both of those cases were dismissed in court.
1:22.7	We have talked frequently before about Donald Trump's long retribution campaign in his second term.
1:28.5	Well, it may have hit a roadblock for now at least. Welcome to AmeriCast.
1:35.3	AmeriCast from BBC News. When Donald Trump calls, they say yes, sir, right away, sir.
	...

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