A court filing obtained by Fox News Digital in New Kent County shows that Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick asked to be recused from the case, citing largely unspecified reasons — a move that indicates an investigation remains active.

“It is not possible for Jay Jones to fulfill the duties of the attorney general while under an open criminal investigation,” Miyares told Fox News Digital after learning of the document, first reported by National Review.

VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES CONVICTED OF RECKLESS DRIVING, CALLS IT ‘MISTAKE’

Jay Jones, who is running to become Virginia’s attorney general in 2025, has come under fire for a series of text messages calling for the death of political opponents and remarks about police officers.  (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

“If Jay stays in the race, it shows a contempt for voters never seen in modern Virginia political history.”

Miyares said Jones’ text messages envisioning the murder of then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, already disqualified him from the position, but that Wednesday’s news is icing on the proverbial cake.

“Now we learn that he may have misled the courts to avoid jail time for recklessly driving 116mph. He has not taken accountability for his words or actions,” Miyares said.

WATCH: KAINE DEFENDS JONES AMID AG CANDIDATE’S TEXTS ENVISIONING MURDER OF GOP LEADER: ‘STILL A SUPPORTER’

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The order, signed by New Kent County Circuit Judge B. Elliott Bondurant, cites the case Commonwealth v. Jerrauld C. Jones.

Bondurant wrote that Renick advised the court he believed it would be “improper for him to act in the matter currently pending in the General District Court in New Kent County, due to a potential conflict.”

Without extrapolating the conflict further, Bondurant consented to the request and has appointed James City County Commonwealth’s Attorney Nathan R. Green as special prosecutor.

JONES AND MIYARES CLASH OVER MURDER TEXTS AS DEM REPEATEDLY INVOKES TRUMP AT HEATED, HIGH-STAKES DEBATE

Green, whose jurisdiction is adjacent to New Kent, is based out of and also includes the independent city of Williamsburg.

Green will be able to “exercise all powers of the Attorney for the Commonwealth in this matter,” Bondurant wrote.

Questions have also surfaced about the legality and ethics of Jones completing half of his 1,000 community service hours for the reckless driving case through his own political action committee. The remaining 500 hours were logged with the NAACP of Virginia, according to a sworn statement signed by the group’s president, Rev. Cozy Bailey.

JASON MIYARES TOUTS RECORD ON CRIME, FENTANYL AS JONES SCANDAL ROILS VIRGINIA RACE

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Fox News Digital has a pending Freedom of Information Act request with New Kent County for any communications between the committee – MOMPAC – and the county as well as the NAACP and the county.

Legal documents obtained by Fox News Digital earlier in October did not indicate whether time logs were also filed along with the sworn certificates of completion of 500 hours each.

Jones was also issued a $1,500 fine for the incident.

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Officials who answered the phone at both the New Kent County Circuit Court and Renick’s office declined to provide details about the investigation referenced in the recusal document, though the court did release a copy of the order to Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jones for comment for purposes of this story but did not hear back by press time.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. 

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. 

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

The post Miyares demands Jones' ouster after court doc indicates reckless driving case under further criminal probe appeared first on My Blog.

James’ arraignment is the latest in a string of prosecutions brought against the president’s perceived political foes, despite objections from career prosecutors — some of whom have since been fired or resigned.

James was indicted on two federal counts of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

The indictment stems from her 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia, where prosecutors allege that she misled a bank about the nature of the residence in order to obtain more favorable loan conditions.

DOJ SEEKS REMOVAL OF COMEY’S DEFENSE LAWYER, CITING CONFLICT OF INTEREST

President Donald Trump (R) walks with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (L) during a visit to the Justice Department Mar. 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

James, for her part, has vehemently denied wrongdoing, and is expected to plead not guilty.

“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement after she was indicted.

“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she added.

Her indictment, like the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, was presented to a grand jury by former White House aide Lindsey Halligan, whom President Donald Trump installed as the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last month.

Trump, in September, said he would install Halligan as the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing interim attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure to indict both Comey and James.

FBI AGENTS SUE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN. 6 INVESTIGATIONS

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference, Sept. 21, 2022, in New York.   (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

James’ indictment, like Comey’s, has touched off intense backlash and concerns of weaponization within the Justice Department’s ranks during Trump’s second presidential term.

Both cases have both sparked the resignations or firings of several career officials in the Eastern District of Virginia, including in the Norfolk office, where two assistant U.S. attorneys were fired for reportedly voicing opposition to bringing James’ case.

Halligan will be joined in court Friday by a Missouri-based federal prosecutor, Roger Keller, according to court filings.

James’ defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, told the court they have retained the services of Andrew Bosse, a former assistant U.S. attorney based in Norfolk who formerly headed up the office’s criminal division.

The case against James comes after she successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump last year.

After the arraignment, it is likely that she will file a motion to dismiss her case for vindictive and selective prosecution, following similar steps taken by Comey’s legal team in Alexandria earlier this week.

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Lowell, her attorney, has described the case against her as “improper political retribution,” and vowed they would “fight these charges in every process allowed in the law.”

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment on the case, or whether Halligan or Keller wouldbe joined by any other federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

The post Letitia James to be arraigned in Virginia on federal bank fraud charges tied to 2020 home purchase appeared first on My Blog.

The charges against James stem from her 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia. Prosecutors allege that James misled a bank about the nature of the residence in order to obtain more favorable loan conditions.

The indictment states that James misrepresented the financial institution in claiming it would be her secondary residence, and instead rented it out to a family.

According to the indictment, the lower interest rate would allow James to save nearly $19,000 over the course of the 30-year loan.

LETITIA JAMES TO BE ARRAIGNED IN VIRGINIA ON FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES TIED TO 2020 HOME PURCHASE

NY AG Letitia James and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)

James entered the not guilty plea herself to U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker.

She is being represented in the case by defense attorney Abbe Lowell, and by Andrew Bosse, a former assistant U.S. attorney based in Norfolk who formerly headed up the office’s criminal division.

James’ arraignment is the latest in a string of prosecutions brought against the president’s perceived political foes, despite objections from career prosecutors — some of whom have since been fired or resigned.

James, a Democrat, has long-drawn Trump’s ire after she campaigned for attorney general in 2016 largely on vows to investigate Trump’s actions and businesses.

She also successfully secured a $450 million civil fraud case against him last year, though an appeals court later tossed the financial penalty portion of the case.

“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement after she was indicted.

DOJ SEEKS REMOVAL OF COMEY’S DEFENSE LAWYER, CITING CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Trump denies B1 bombers flew toward Venezuela amid cartel threats. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she added.

Her indictment, like the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, was presented to a grand jury by former White House aide Lindsey Halligan, whom President Donald Trump installed as the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last month.

Trump, in September, said he would install Halligan as the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing interim attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure to indict both Comey and James.

“No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said in a statement. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”

After the arraignment, it is likely that she will file a motion to dismiss her case for vindictive and selective prosecution, following similar steps taken by Comey’s legal team in Alexandria earlier this week.

She will also file a motion to dismiss her case based on what her lawyers will argue was the unlawful appointment of Halligan in securing her indictment.

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Lowell, her attorney, has described the case against her as “improper political retribution,” and vowed they would “fight these charges in every process allowed in the law.”

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment on the case, or whether Halligan or Keller wouldbe joined by any other federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Speaking to reporters outside the court on Friday, James said the Justice Department is being used as a tool of “revenge,” and a “vehicle of retribution.”

“But my faith is strong,” she told the group that had massed outside the courthouse in Norfolk, Virginia, hours earlier. “I have a belief in the justice system.”

“Never cow down or break or bend. So there is no fear today,” she said. “I will not be deterred.”

Judge Walker set a trial date for Jan. 26, 2026, and ordered parties to appear back in court for motions hearings in early December.

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

The post New York Attorney General Letitia James enters plea in federal mortgage fraud case appeared first on My Blog.

The case itself comes amid a fast-moving backdrop of similar court fights playing out across the country, including one challenge that has already been appealed to the Supreme Court.

At issue in Oregon is a 9th Circuit ruling that affirmed Trump’s authority to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, despite the objections of local and state leaders.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Monday to lift a lower court order blocking Trump from federalizing the National Guard, finding he likely had the authority as president to order the deployments, even if reports of protester violence were overstated.

9TH CIRCUIT COURT RULES ON TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT IN PORTLAND

Federal agents, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Patrol, and police officers, attempt to keep protesters back outside a downtown U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Oct. 6, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.  (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Still, the appeals court ruling has limited practical implications, at least for now.

Writing for the majority of the 9th Circuit, Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade stressed on Monday that they could not evaluate a second emergency order that was issued by the lower court judge late last week, after Trump attempted to deploy federalized National Guard troops from California to the City of Portland.

The second order from U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut clarified that Trump can not deploy any federalized troops to Portland.

The past 48 hours have seen a flurry of action from lawyers for the Justice Department and the states of Oregon and California, as the Trump administration asked Immergut to dissolve her second temporary restraining order, in light of the appeals court ruling.

Meanwhile, lawyers for Oregon and California urged the judge to keep the second emergency order in place until the 9th Circuit can vote on their request to evaluate the case en banc, or in with the full appellate court bench.

‘UNTETHERED FROM REALITY’: LAWYERS FOR TRUMP, OREGON, SPAR OVER NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT IN COURT CLASH

The U.S. Capitol is seen as members of the National Guard patrol the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 8, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

While Trump, in his first term as president, appointed 10 judges to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the bench still retains a slight majority of Democrat-appointed judges, by a margin of 16 to 13.

“The fight is not over,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek vowed to reporters on Monday. “Until the district court acts on the second TRO, National Guard members from Oregon, or any other state cannot deploy,” she added.

Both parties are expected to have more clarity shortly.

As of this writing, the lower court judge has ordered lawyers for the state of Oregon and the Justice Department to appear Friday morning for a status hearing to evaluate the Trump administration’s request for her to dissolve or stay the second emergency order.

Both parties were also ordered to come to Friday’s hearing prepared to discuss the pending en banc vote before the 9th Circuit, which will hold a vote on whether to review the case.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO PORTLAND AMID CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE

National Guard troops were stationed at Union Station in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 20. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

In order to review the case, 15 of the 29 judges on the 9th Circuit must agree to take it up, and further action is expected before Friday.

Otherwise, relief could come in the form of Supreme Court action. The Trump administration appealed to the high court a lower court’s injunction that blocked its deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.

In the interim, court challenges continue to play out in the handful of other Democratic-led cities where Trump has launched his federalization effort. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Friday will hold a hearing to evaluate the status of Trump’s deployment of some 2,500 National Guard troops in the nation’s capital, after the city’s attorney general suggested in a court filing that the effort could stretch through summer 2026.

The Trump administration also re-filed its motion to stay the district court’s injunction centered on the Chicago deployments to the 7th Circuit of Appeals, citing their victory in the 9th Circuit.

Trump has sought to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities despite stated opposition from local and state leaders. Senior administration officials have argued that the deployment is a necessary step to crack down on what they say is an uptick in violent crime and protect against threats from protesters, including anti-ICE demonstrations in many downtown areas.

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Democrats have countered that Trump’s descriptions are hyperbolic and inaccurate, and are merely a legal pretext for Trump to try to “federalize” Democratic-led cities. They’ve used news conferences to highlight declines in violent crime, and have argued in court that the effort to deploy federal troops exceeds Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief.

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

The post Trump wins big in National Guard case, but court fights are far from over appeared first on My Blog.