Trump’s MAGA Queen Flops in Court, Judge Tears Case Apart

A federal judge has strongly criticized the Trump Justice Department this week. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick said the case against former FBI Director James Comey shows a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps.”

The judge focused on Lindsey Halligan, the rookie prosecutor leading the case. Halligan, who once competed in beauty pageants and had no trial experience, was personally chosen by Trump to go after Comey. The decision now looks like a serious mistake.

The case goes back to a 2017 leak. Prosecutors claim Comey lied to Congress in 2020 about letting an FBI source reveal details of a classified investigation. Comey pleaded not guilty last month. He says the case is political revenge for standing up to Trump.

Trump fired Comey in 2017, blaming him for the Russia investigation that shadowed his first term. Now Trump’s DOJ has tried to reopen old battles. But Fitzpatrick’s ruling shows the case is full of errors and sloppy work.

It began with old evidence. In 2019, federal agents searched online accounts belonging to Comey’s friend and lawyer Daniel Richman. Nothing came from that search. Five years later, Halligan’s team used the same files for the indictment. They did not get a new warrant. They did not check for sensitive lawyer-client information. They just handed the data to a grand jury.

Then came a problem with the transcript. Last week, lawyers noticed the record ends just before the grand jury voted to indict. Halligan called the missing section “deliberation time,” but the judge did not accept that explanation.

Fitzpatrick also found that Halligan gave the grand jury misleading information. She suggested Comey might have to prove his innocence, which is the opposite of how the law works. The government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. She even hinted jurors could assume there was secret evidence to support the case.

“The procedural and substantive irregularities that occurred before the grand jury, and the manner in which evidence presented to the grand jury was collected and used, may rise to the level of government misconduct resulting in prejudice to Mr. Comey,” the judge wrote.

Comey responded online after the charges were filed. “My family and I have known for years that there are costs for standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees and you shouldn’t either,” he said.

Comey’s lawyers are asking the case to be dismissed. They claim selective prosecution. Fitzpatrick agreed that Comey should have access to all grand jury material. This allows his team to check for more errors.

Other judges had already questioned the DOJ’s handling. One criticized delays in sharing evidence. Another doubted whether the leak charges would stand. Fitzpatrick’s ruling now adds to the concern that the case could collapse if missteps continue.

Featured image via X screengrab