The case against former FBI Director James Comey grows flimsier by the day.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Lindsey Halligan admitted that a full grand jury never voted to approve the indictment of Comey, raising questions about whether the case is even legal. The stunning revelation came during a hearing meant to determine whether the case against Comey was a malicious prosecution. While under questioning from U.S. District Court Judge Michael Nachmanoff, Trump’s hand-selected attorney revealed the unorthodox way she secured an indictment.
The grand jury convened at the behest of President Donald Trump initially declined to indict Comey. Halligan told Nachmanoff she brought an altered indictment to the grand jury’s foreman and had them sign off on it without another vote from the full jury. Per the New York Times, Comey’s attorneys requested that the case be dismissed following the admission from Halligan.
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Halligan’s confession comes mere days after a federal judge accused prosecutors of “profound investigative misteps” that could “potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceeding.” Judge William Fitzpatrick said that Halligan made statements to the grand jury “that could reasonably form the basis for the defense to challenge whether the grand jury proceedings were infected with constitutional error.”
Nachmanoff did not make any ruling from the bench on Wednesday.