The James Curse: When the Pendulum Swings and the Name Bites Back, By Chris Knight (Florida)

 Ah, the sweet, satirical symmetry of American justice in 2025. Just when you thought the political revenge tour had hit its plot twist ceiling, Trump back in the Oval, Truth Social ablaze with calls for "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!" — enter the Jameses. Not one, but two high-profile prosecutors named James, both now staring down indictments like they're overdue library books. Letitia James, the New York AG who once slapped Trump with a $450 million civil fraud verdict, charged with mortgage shenanigans. James Comey, the ex-FBI director who leaked memos and helped spark the Russia probe, accused of fibbing to Congress. Coincidence? Or is it the Curse of the Common Name?

Picture this: It's September 2025. Trump's second act is in full swing, and he's not wasting time on olive branches. He fires off a post demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi unleash the hounds on his nemeses, Comey, Letitia James, even Adam Schiff for good measure. "They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING," he thunders. Enter Lindsey Halligan, Trump's former personal lawyer turned interim U.S. Attorney for Virginia's Eastern District. She's no grizzled career prosecutor; she's a White House aide with zero federal trial experience, handpicked after the last guy, Erik Siebert, resigned (or was "encouraged" to) for dragging his feet on these cases. Halligan storms the grand jury like a reality TV producer pitching a reboot of The Apprentice: Indictment Edition. First victim: Comey, indicted on September 25 for allegedly lying to Congress in 2020 testimony about leaks from the Russia investigation. The charges? One count of false statements, one of obstruction, tied to some dusty "Arctic haze" leak probe where classified docs allegedly ended up in newspapers. Comey, ever the dramatic tall boy, posts a video: "I'm innocent. Let's have a trial." Trump? Ecstatic. "One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to," he posts, as if he's reviewing a bad Yelp listing for the FBI.

Fast-forward two weeks to October 9, and Halligan's on a roll. Now it's Letitia James's turn, hit with bank fraud and false statements for allegedly fibbing on a 2010s-era mortgage application. The rap? Claiming a Norfolk, Virginia, home was her "second residence" to snag a sweeter interest rate, when prosecutors say she knew it'd be a rental cash cow. We're talking an alleged windfall of $18,933 over the loan's life, peanuts compared to the half-billion she extracted from Trump, but hey, turnabout's fair play in the revenge economy. James fires back in a statement: "This is nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice system." New York Gov. Kathy Hochul chimes in, calling it a hit job on James's "relentless fight for justice." Meanwhile, MAGA Twitter erupts in schadenfreude: "No one is above the law!" they crow, conveniently forgetting the "above the law" guy who appointed the prosecutor.

And here's the satirical kicker, the "James" connection. In a nation where names carry biblical weight, is this cosmic payback for sharing a moniker with the guy who once tweeted "Lock her up!" at Hillary? Comey, the 6'8" Boy Scout who fired the opening shot in Trump's legal woes by reopening the Clinton email probe days before the 2016 election. James, the Brooklyn firebrand who campaigned on "getting" Trump and delivered, turning his triplex valuations into a punchline. Both Jameses were untouchable architects of the anti-Trump legal machine: Comey greenlit the Russia inquiry; James won the fraud case that forced Trump to pony up (or appeal into oblivion). Now? They're the indicted ones, courtesy of a DOJ that's less independent than a Fox News chyron.

It shows how the pendulum swings, alright, like a wrecking ball on steroids. Remember 2016-2020? Mueller's shadow loomed, Comey testified like an oracle, and James was just a rising star plotting from Albany. Democrats crowed about accountability; Trump seethed in Mar-a-Lago exile. Flip to 2025: Trump's back, the tables have tables, and the indictments rain down faster than Elon Musk's X algorithm tweaks. Critics howl "vindictive prosecution!" — and they're not wrong. Legal eagles are already sharpening motions to dismiss, citing selective targeting and Halligan's "unlawful appointment." Comey's lawyers call it "outrageous conduct"; James's camp echoes the weaponisation chorus. Even the grand jury weirdness, 14 jurors voting yes on Comey's charges, but nixing a third count, smells like rushed theatre. As one former prosecutor put it, this case "should never go to trial."

But let's not pretend this is just Trumpian pettiness, though it is, gloriously so. It's the eternal pendulum of power: Yesterday's hunters become tomorrow's hunted. The system that indicts presidents now indicts their pursuers, all under the banner of "no one is above the law." (Except, apparently, the guy yelling it from the Resolute Desk.) These changing fortunes remind us that in Washington, loyalty is currency, grudges are gospel, and justice? It's whatever the guy with the nuclear codes says it is. The Jameses' fall isn't just personal; it's a funhouse mirror for the whole circus. Comey, once the ethical North Star, now pleading not guilty in a Virginia courtroom. James, the fraud-buster extraordinaire, accused of her own fiscal fibs. If irony had a draft lottery, they'd both be No. 1 picks.

So, as October 24 looms for James's court date and Comey's motions pile up, raise a glass (or a leaked memo) to the swing. It hums with the rhythm of recriminations: Blue wave crashes red wall, indictments boomerang, and the "common name" James becomes shorthand for hubris's hangover. Serious? This exposes the rot in our revolving-door retribution. Satirical? Only if you ignore the chill down democracy's spine. But hey, in this pendulum palace, today's villain is tomorrow's victim, and the beat goes on, indictments optional. Who's next on the list? How about Hillary Clinton, at last?