Overview
- Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick directed prosecutors to give James Comey’s lawyers all grand jury transcripts and audio after personally reviewing the proceedings.
- The opinion cites two apparent misstatements of law to grand jurors by interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan that the judge said could compromise the grand jury’s integrity.
- Fitzpatrick flagged potential Fourth Amendment and attorney‑client privilege violations, noting an FBI agent exposed to privileged material testified and that investigators reused older warrants without seeking a new one.
- The judge questioned irregularities in the record, including missing or incomplete transcripts and whether a revised indictment was properly presented to jurors, warning the case could enter “uncharted legal territory.”
- The Justice Department has filed an emergency motion to halt disclosure as separate challenges to Halligan’s appointment proceed, raising the prospect of dismissal or delay of the January 2026 trial date.