Judge orders DOJ to give Comey grand jury records, citing prosecutor's misconduct
A judge on Monday ordered the Department of Justice to hand over grand jury material to former FBI Director James Comey, an unusual move that the judge said was necessary...
By Fox News · Fox News
A judge on Monday ordered the Department of Justice to hand over grand jury material to former FBI Director James Comey, an unusual move that the judge said was necessary because of the department's "highly unusual" activity during the secret grand jury proceedings. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick scolded the DOJ in the order for what he said was a glaring mishandling of evidence presented to grand jurors and possible misstatements by the case's lead prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan. "The Court is finding that the government’s actions in this case — whether purposeful, reckless, or negligent — raise genuine issues of misconduct, are inextricably linked to the government’s grand jury presentation, and deserve to be fully explored by the defense," Fitzpatrick wrote. DOJ SEEKS REMOVAL OF COMEY'S DEFENSE LAWYER, CITING CONFLICT OF INTEREST The judge also warned that the grand jury proceedings may have been tainted beyond repair and could cause the court to dismiss the indictment. Comey is facing one charge of a false statement to Congress and one charge of obstruction of justice. He has pleaded not guilty and moved to have his case dismissed on several grounds. The grand jury issue stems from evidence Halligan presented to the grand jury that the judge said improperly stemmed from years-old warrants. Halligan , a former White House aide and insurance lawyer who had no prior prosecutorial experience, was installed by Trump in September as interim U.S. attorney as part of the DOJ's rush to fulfill Trump's demand that Comey be charged before the statutes of limitation expired. FEDERAL JUDGE VOICES DOUBT ABOUT TRUMP APPOINTEE'S ABILITY TO CHARGE JAMES COMEY, LETITIA JAMES When presenting the case to the grand jury, Halligan relied on evidence gathered from 2019 and 2020 warrants that were part of a past investigation while, according to the judge, brushing off rules surrounding how investigators and prosecutors are permitted to review and seize information obtained throug…