Comey lawyers fight for dismissal of third criminal prosecution
Comey lawyers fight for dismissal of third criminal prosecution
Lawyers for James Comey tried to persuade a federal judge on Friday that the Trump administration’s third attempt to prosecute the former FBI Director for allegedly disclosing national defense information should be stopped because the Justice Department (DOJ) waited too long to bring the charges.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, an appointee of President Trump, is weighing whether the criminal case against Comey should be thrown out. He did not rule from the bench.
One of Comey’s attorneys, Ephraim McDowell, told the judge during a hearing at the federal courthouse in D.C. that the case was “time barred and must be dismissed.”
“The government has had 10 years,” McDowell said, arguing that the DOJ waited until the “last minute” to pursue the charges.
Comey is facing two espionage-related charges in connection with the alleged leak of sensitive national defense information to the media a decade ago. Comey has denied any wrongdoing.
“Nothing’s changed with me,” he said in a Monday afternoon video posted to his Substack account. “I’m still innocent but I’m still not afraid of these people, and I still believe in the independent judiciary.”
He was not present in the courtroom; however, it was the first time proceedings in the case were held in the open as it had been under seal since Monday.
The DOJ alleges that Comey directed an individual........
