A magistrate judge on Wednesday ripped DOJ prosecutors and accused them of a slap dahs indictment against James Comey.
A grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted former FBI Director James Comey in September. He was indicted on two counts – false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
Comey’s false statements charge is related to his September 2020 Senate testimony on whether he authorized leaks to the media.
In 2020, James Comey lied when he told congressional investigators that he never gave anyone permission to anonymously leak information about Hillary Clinton’s email investigation to the media.
However, evidence presented by prosecutors proves Comey gave his friend-turned-lawyer Daniel Richman permission to leak to The New York Times – and cheered it on.
The Justice Department also has other materials related to Comey’s case “on a desk” at the FBI headquarters. Comey’s lawyers accused the DOJ of withholding evidence in violation of the Constitution.
Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick scolded prosecutors for their handling of the case and said they quickly moved to “indict first, investigate second.”
Fitzpatrick also ordered the Justice Department to turn over all grand jury materials to Comey’s attorneys by Thursday.
Comey’s attorneys are arguing that some of the documents used in the indictment may be privileged.
Hellbound and Down 