A U.S. District Judge has found “serious government misconduct” in the feds’ case against former FBI Director James Comey. Comey is under indictment for perjury before Congress in 2020. This positive change comes amid a deeply troubling backdrop. The prosecution came just months after former President Donald Trump seemingly pressured his attorney general to prosecute Comey and other political enemies.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg further ordered the release of materials related to the grand jury. This decision caused the case against Comey to take center stage. The judge’s ruling is a remarkable repudiation of the conduct of the prosecution. Notably, the prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, presented the case to the grand jury just days after her appointment.
It was not just Judge Boasberg’s perception that Halllgan had committed serious misstatements of the law throughout the grand jury process. These mistakes were central to Comey’s indictment last September. The judge stated, “The record points to a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps, missteps that led an FBI agent and a prosecutor to potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceeding.”
Comey’s legal team contends that the vindictive, Trump-directed prosecution is unconstitutional and should be thrown out. They’ve fought valiantly, raising multiple procedural challenges to the case. The first of these motions claims that Halligan’s appointment as interim U.S. attorney without Senate confirmation was unconstitutional.
Back in July, Judge Boasberg had expressed concerns about the Justice Department’s cavalier approach to the case. He argued that the department embraced an “indict first and investigate later” mindset. This has put additional pressure on the stated motives behind the charges against Comey underneath a microscope.
The court’s decision requires prosecutors to produce a significant amount of materials from the investigation, which Comey’s lawyers believe may reveal irregularities that could taint the prosecution’s case. James Comey not guilty James Comey has pleaded not guilty to all charges levied against him.