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Federal judge slams DOJ’s ‘indict first, investigate later’ approach
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A federal decide criticized the Justice Division on Wednesday for allegedly being too fast to file fees in high-profile instances.
Decide William Fitzpatrick of the Japanese District of Virginia made the feedback throughout a short listening to on the case towards former FBI Director James Comey.
“Proper now we’re sort of feeling like we have to file fees first, then examine later,” Fitzpatrick mentioned throughout the listening to, which lasted lower than an hour.
Fitzpatrick questioned prosecutors about their dealing with of information obtained from quite a lot of search warrants between 2019 and 2020, data now being utilized in Comey’s case. The decide pressed prosecutors about whether or not they could have accessed data that could be protected by attorney-client privilege.
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Former FBI Director James Comey’s protection group claims he’s the sufferer of “selective prosecution.” (Cheriss Could/NurPhoto by way of Getty Photos)
Fitzpatrick additionally famous the dimensions of the trove of paperwork and mentioned Comey’s protection group is at a drawback as a result of there may be restricted time to evaluate the set.
“The federal government has had this for 5 and a half years. That is an unfair burden that the federal government is putting on the protection, however I see no different approach ahead,” the decide mentioned.
Comey’s group has tried to have his case dismissed, arguing that he’s the sufferer of selective prosecution by President Donald Trump.
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Former FBI Director James Comey is drawn in a courtroom sketch throughout his arraignment on Oct. 8, 2025, in Virginia. (Federal Courtroom, artist Dana Verkouteren)
The DOJ denied in a 48-page submitting that Trump’s September Reality Social put up calling on U.S. Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi to prosecute outstanding political opponents, together with Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and New York Lawyer Basic Letitia James, had any affect on the choice to file fees.
“These messages replicate the President’s view that the suspect has dedicated crimes worthy of prosecution. They might even recommend that the President is disfavoring the suspect. However they aren’t direct proof of a vengeful motive,” prosecutors argued.
Comey’s legal professionals argue that Trump influenced the DOJ’s resolution to prosecute him. (Evan Vucci/AP Picture)
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“The defendant concocts a narrative that requires leaps of logic and a big dose of cynicism, after which calls the president’s put up a direct confession,” they continued. “There isn’t any direct acknowledgment of discriminatory intent. Fairly, the president’s solely direct acknowledgment is that DOJ officers determined whether or not to prosecute, not him.”
Fox Information’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.