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All 16 counts against Liz Murill are dismissed by special prosecutor
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NEW ORLEANS — All 16 charges against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill have been dismissed by the special prosecutor.
Murrill announced that the charges against her had been dropped on Wednesday morning and defended that there had been no crime committed.
“This case should have NEVER been started because there was NO crime,” Murrill said in a prepared statement. “This outcome will not deter my efforts to get to the bottom of this. The irresponsible and illegal actions that led to this abuse of the criminal justice system need to never happen again.”
On Tuesday, it was reported that multiple New Orleans city leaders had authored a letter asking for the dismissal of charges against Murrill. Mayor Helena Moreno and five city council members reportedly asked Laurie White, who is prosecuting the case against Murrill, to dismiss the 16 charges the AG was indicted on in early July.
"This request is not driven by fear, politics, or personal interest," the letter said. "It is driven by our belief that the public interest is now better served by moving forward rather than by prolonging litigation. Importantly, we also recognize that the Louisiana Supreme Court has already expressed significant concerns regarding the viability of this prosecution."
The indictment stemmed from allegations that Murrill illegally threatened elected Orleans Parish officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams and five city council members.
After the state legislature abolished the Orleans Parish criminal clerk's office and merged it with the civil clerk, five of the seven city council members plus Moreno and Williams argued that it created a new elected office. In response, Murrill allegedly sent threatening letters to those officials, saying they risked losing their offices by violating the state's usurper laws.
Murrill's attorneys argued that the indictment was politically motivated.
Murrill says she will be at the news conference Wednesday afternoon where state officials will give updates on Tropical Storm Bertha and can directly address the dropped charges at that time. The news conference starts at 2 p.m.
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