Trump admin updates: Trump says Venezuelan airspace should be 'closed in its entirety'

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday the Justice Department will appeal the dismissal of charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“We'll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct,” Bondi said. “I'm not worried about someone who has been charged with a very serious crime. His alleged actions were a betrayal of public trust."

Bondi offered a full-throated defense of acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, whose appointment was the grounds for dismissal, saying she is an excellent U.S. attorney and is confident DOJ will win the case on appeal.

“We have made Lindsay Halligan a special U.S. attorney so she is in court. She can fight in court just like she was and we believe we will be successful on appeal,” Bondi said.

"And I tell you, Lindsey Halligan, I talked to all of our U.S. attorneys, the majority of them around the country, and Lindsey Halligan is an excellent U.S. attorney, and shame on them for not wanting her in office."

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Following Sunday’s meeting in Geneva between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the White House is optimistic about what took place.

“I spoke with Secretary Rubio at length. I spoke with the president as well. Everybody inside feels optimistic about what happened in, transpired yesterday in Geneva,” Leavitt said.

“And ultimately, the vast majority of these points have been agreed upon. The Ukrainians have worked on language with us together, and you heard that from their delegation directly yesterday. So we feel as though we're in a very good place,” she said.

Asked whether Trump’s self-imposed Thursday deadline for a deal between Russia and Ukraine still stands, Leavitt said that the president wants to see a deal come together as quickly as possible.

Following Trump’s call today with Chinese President Xi, Leavitt was asked whether Trump is seeking Xi's help to put pressure on Putin. Leavitt reiterated the readout Trump provided of the call on his social media platform, where he said the call centered around the framework deal that was agreed upon during his visit to Asia in October.

Asked how flexible Trump is willing to be regarding the peace plan, Leavitt said Trump has been flexible and reiterated his desire to see a deal come together to end the war.

Leavitt also pushed back against those who said the White House is favoring one side over the other.

“The idea that the United States of America is not engaging with both sides equally in this war to bring it to an end is a complete and total fallacy,” she said.

Leavitt told reporters that there are currently no plans for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Washington, D.C.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed the White House’s support for the Defense Department investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly following a group of Democratic Senators urging military members not to follow “illegal orders.”

"The White House is supportive of the Department of War's investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly. And I think what Sen. Mark Kelly was actually trying to do was intimidate the 1.3 million active duty service members who are currently serving in our United States Armed Forces with that video that he and his Democrat colleagues put out," Leavitt said at a gaggle on Monday afternoon.

"Sen. Mark Kelly well knows the rules of the military and the respect that one must have for the chain of command," she continued. "And that all orders, lawful orders, are presumed to be legal by our service members. You can't have a functioning military if there is disorder and chaos within the ranks. And that's what these Democrat members were encouraging."

Democrats have defended their message to troops that they can refuse illegal orders, and Kelly on Monday said he won't be intimidated by the push back from the administration.

"I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution," Kelly said.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

The White House has responded to the dismissal on Monday of the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"The facts of the indictments against Comey and James have not changed and this will not be the final word on this matter," Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman said to ABC News.

The judge dismissed the charges without prejudice, meaning the cases could potentially be refiled by an appropriately appointed U.S. attorney.
-ABC News' Isabella Murray