{"id":1935,"date":"2025-11-17T21:14:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T21:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/?p=1935"},"modified":"2025-11-17T21:14:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T21:14:47","slug":"judge-in-comey-case-raises-alarm-over-profound-investigative-missteps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/?p=1935","title":{"rendered":"Judge in Comey case raises alarm over &#8216;profound investigative missteps&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"kCTVx qtHut lqtkC HkWF HfYhe kGyAC \" data-testid=\"prism-headline\">\n<p class=\"jxTEW Poyse uieav lqtkC HkWF HfYhe kGyAC \"><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">He ordered the DOJ to turn over a full recording of the grand jury presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"QHblV nkdHX mHUQ kvZxL hTosT whbOj \" data-testid=\"prism-byline\">\n<div class=\"VZTD mLASH BQWr OcxMG oJce \">\n<div class=\"kKfXc ubAkB VZTD rEPuv \">\n<div class=\"TQPvQ fVlAg HUcap kxY REjk UamUc WxHIR HhZOB yaUf VOJBn KMpjV XSbaH Umfib ukdDD \"><span class=\"tChGB zbFav \">By<\/span><a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/author\/alexander_mallin\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">Alexander Mallin<\/a><span class=\"EpNlu \">,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/author\/peter_charalambous\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">Peter Charalambous<\/a><span class=\"EpNlu \">, and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/author\/katherine_faulders\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">Katherine Faulders<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"VZTD mLASH gpiba \">\n<div class=\"jTKbV zIIsP ZdbeE xAPpq QtiLO JQYD \">November 17, 2025, 9:16 PM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"FeaturedMedia\">\n<div class=\"ResponsiveWrapper\">\n<aside class=\"InlineElement InlineElement--content-width InlineElement--desktop InlineVideo FeaturedVideo\" aria-label=\"Video\">\n<div class=\"SingleVideo\">\n<div class=\"MediaPlaceholder relative MediaPlaceholder--16x9 cursor-pointer\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-hidden=\"false\">\n<div class=\"ABCNewsVideoPlayer ABCNewsVideoPlayer--videoPlaying aspect-ratio dock StickyVideoPlayer VideoPlayer\">\n<div class=\"VideoPlayer--placeholder absolute-fill\">\n<div class=\"StickyVideoPlayer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"StickyVideoPlayer-metaInfo\">\n<div class=\"StickyVideoPlayer-source\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"StickyVideoPlayer-headline\">Comey &amp; James indictments challenged, and senators who could sue for $500K<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU eEzcu lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<div class=\"HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul \"><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span class=\"mNSUE OQXzL npjDN FWSOf mIlhR jWzcU msTA-d rpTQS \" aria-hidden=\"false\">Comey &amp; James indictments challenged, and senators who could sue for $500K<\/span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">ABC legal analyst James Sample on how James Comey\u2019s and Letitia James\u2019 attorneys could get prosecutor tossed; and how senators could sue if their phones were tapped during the J6 investigation.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ScrollSpy_container\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"XQpSH \" data-testid=\"prism-divider\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"xvlfx ZRifP TKoO eaKKC EcdEg bOdfO qXhdi NFNeu UyHES \" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">A magistrate judge expressed alarm Monday at what he called &#8220;a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps&#8221; that may have irreversibly tainted the\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/former-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-days-after\/story?id=125935658\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">prosecution of James Comey<\/a>\u00a0and violated the former FBI director&#8217;s constitutional rights, in a scathing opinion granting Comey&#8217;s attorneys access to a vast trove of grand jury evidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Judge William Fitzpatrick ordered the Trump administration to turn over a full transcript and recording of the September grand jury presentation by Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, which he said included instances where she may have made &#8220;fundamental misstatements of the law that could compromise the integrity of the grand jury process.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Justice Department responded by seeking an emergency stay of the judge&#8217;s order.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO GbsKS pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW AMhAA daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc ebfE nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY VvTxJ iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM hbvnu OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD iShaE ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV kRoBe oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div class=\"XQpSH zzkIM UtCfs sXthe lyRMG \" data-testid=\"prism-divider\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<section class=\"Kiog iKqXF CHWlW ZgZTu FlDNH hQfuy DIVSO feniZ wBpop uAyYK yJYJo OGgqj tQHio PCVZs \" data-testid=\"prism-collection\">\n<div class=\"liAe uMOq zYIfP pYgZk Mxrkk hsDdd lZur TPpRg NoUSU igcMP DtJWr QgBvn DFdlJ EwJTR UpiKB sKbok RsAxh msYPt zKjNI SXHxp OaElp halTF KzevM LFuuA xTOeQ jLoop FbRJS VsDDe puLAk IlWTY uPokU OSGug wBYl eBjQR NZiwR \" data-testid=\"prism-card\">\n<div class=\"QGHKv iVcn avodi rEPuv ICwhc ibBnq \">\n<div class=\"VZTD HNQqj QXDKT QBuju SHKi nCIGi NxHUa sJErG nJjCu dlVQH \" data-testid=\"prism-meta\">\n<div class=\"CJAFL gDeX \">\n<h3 id=\"Judgeappearsskepticaheadline\" class=\"PFoxV eBpQD rcQBv bQtjQ lQUdN GpQCA mAkiF FvMyr WvoqU \">Judge appears skeptical of government&#8217;s actions as Comey, James press to have cases tossed<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Judgeappearsskepticaindicators\" class=\"NwMid ExxYR tyAg WZxmx dWIDw ZxQhU \"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"XQpSH zzkIM UtCfs Ufjyt \" data-testid=\"prism-divider\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Fitzpatrick, in his ruling, wrote that, &#8220;The Court recognizes that the relief sought by the defense is rarely granted. However, 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Comey\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FPolitics%2Fformer-fbi-director-james-comey-make-1st-court%2Fstory%3Fid%3D126322951&amp;data=05%7C02%7CMarc.E.Nathanson%40abc.com%7Ca1d8d44c0a58460636c808de0fe69897%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C638965680240868315%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=wMrj8EVKmcpjiCGKsLmZwSOT%2BL4WzXP%2BKhuwFiaCh9k%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">pleaded not guilty<\/a>\u00a0in October to one count of false statements and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020, amid what critics call Trump&#8217;s\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FUS%2Flist-individuals-including-lisa-cook-targeted-trump-administration%2Fstory%3Fid%3D124968309&amp;data=05%7C02%7CMarc.E.Nathanson%40abc.com%7Ca1d8d44c0a58460636c808de0fe69897%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C638965680240889586%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=OzB3KgLWzwY2Y1PNWuUxbLgkAkvMv2r8y%2BY1Tc%2BZNEY%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">campaign of retribution<\/a>\u00a0against his perceived political foes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Halligan, Trump&#8217;s handpicked U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, sought the indictment of Comey over the\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/prosecutors-memo-new-us-attorney-recommended-plans-charge\/story?id=125925246\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">objections of career prosecutors<\/a>\u00a0after Trump\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/us-attorney-plans-resign-amid-pressure-trump-after\/story?id=125750006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">forced out<\/a>\u00a0previous U.S. attorney Erik Siebert who sources said had resisted bringing cases against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Halligan, who had no experience as a prosecutor, sought the indictment after Trump, in a social media post, called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/trump-allowed-involved-comey-case-indictment-doj\/story?id=125935132\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\">act &#8220;NOW!!!&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0to prosecute Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Fitzpatrick, in Monday&#8217;s ruling, wrote, &#8220;Having been requested by the government to review the grand jury materials, the Court has identified two statements by the prosecutor to the grand jurors that on their face appear to be\u00a0fundamental misstatements of the law that could compromise the integrity of the grand jury process.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7669390d-d027-4ec7-9673-1d2eccafbbec\/comey-gty-er-251117_1763404424377_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7669390d-d027-4ec7-9673-1d2eccafbbec\/comey-gty-er-251117_1763404424377_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7669390d-d027-4ec7-9673-1d2eccafbbec\/comey-gty-er-251117_1763404424377_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7669390d-d027-4ec7-9673-1d2eccafbbec\/comey-gty-er-251117_1763404424377_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/7669390d-d027-4ec7-9673-1d2eccafbbec\/comey-gty-er-251117_1763404424377_hpMain.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-testid=\"prism-image\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<div class=\"HXPPJ barbu yKsXL IzgMt VcHIt uhSzI YGNMU cRAsZ xqMcl QtRul \"><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Former FBI Director James Comey talks backstage before a panel discussion about his book &#8220;A Higher Loyalty,&#8221; June 19, 2018, in Berlin.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"qinlA IpWvx oqZz tylGM lyWxS nWcVF UhTug PPcLh YxlyB \"><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Carsten Koall\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Separately, the judge raised concerns that based on materials handed over by the government, it appears the indictment that Halligan ultimately returned in open court may not have been presented or deliberated on by the grand jury, which initially rejected one of the three charges she had sought.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO GbsKS pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW AMhAA daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc ebfE nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY VvTxJ iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM hbvnu OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD iShaE ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV kRoBe oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;If this procedure did not take place, then the Court is in uncharted legal territory in that the indictment returned in open court was not the same charging document presented to and deliberated upon by the grand jury,&#8221; Fitzpatrick said. &#8220;Either way, this unusual series of events, still not fully explained by the prosecutor&#8217;s declaration, calls into question the presumption of regularity generally associated with grand jury proceedings, and provides another genuine issue the defense may raise to challenge the manner in which the government obtained the indictment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Prosecutors said that Fitzpatrick&#8217;s order is &#8220;contrary to law&#8221; and asked a separate judge presiding over Comey&#8217;s case, Michael Nachmanoff, to stay the decision to allow them more time to detail their objections to handing over the evidence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He ordered the DOJ to turn over a full recording of the grand jury presentation. ByAlexander Mallin,\u00a0Peter Charalambous, and\u00a0Katherine Faulders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"colormag-highlighted-post":false,"colormag-featured-post-medium":false,"colormag-featured-post-small":false,"colormag-featured-image":false,"colormag-default-news":false,"colormag-featured-image-large":false},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12938b275280a43554ec0f09b2f55a2756f50e6fd69b93e1e0172b75d6a79900?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"He ordered the DOJ to turn over a full recording of the grand jury presentation. ByAlexander Mallin,\u00a0Peter Charalambous, and\u00a0Katherine Faulders","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Uncategorized"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":118,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":4,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":false,"medium":false,"thumbnail":false},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/?author=1"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12938b275280a43554ec0f09b2f55a2756f50e6fd69b93e1e0172b75d6a79900?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-1\">Uncategorized<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1935"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1937,"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935\/revisions\/1937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justnews24.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}