{"id":2519233,"date":"2025-12-09T13:08:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-faces-setbacks-in-road-to-reviving-comey-and-james-cases\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T13:11:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:11:44","slug":"doj-faces-setbacks-in-road-to-reviving-comey-and-james-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-faces-setbacks-in-road-to-reviving-comey-and-james-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ faces setbacks in road to reviving Comey and James cases"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-faces-setbacks-in-road-to-reviving-comey-and-james-cases%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2519233&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Justice Department is <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >encountering significant legal obstacles<\/a> in attempting to revive failed indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. A crucial setback came when U.S. District Judge colleen kollar-Kotelly issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-georgia-update-judge-issues-restraining-order-for-10-days-preventing-defendants-from-destroying-or-erasing-dominion-voting-machines\/\" title=\"BREAKING GEORGIA UPDATE: Judge ... ... for 10 Days Preventing Defendants from Destroying or Erasing Dominion Voting Machines\">temporary restraining order<\/a> that blocks prosecutors from accessing digital records seized from Columbia Law professor Daniel Richman, a key figure and confidant of Comey.The judge ruled that Richman&#8217;s Fourth Amendment rights were likely violated, as his personal computer files were retained and later searched without a warrant. This order restricts the DOJ&#8217;s access to important evidence central to the prosecution&#8217;s case, wich is based largely on investigations into FBI leaks involving Comey.<\/p>\n<p>The Comey case hinges on Richman&#8217;s communications and role as a media liaison, which prosecutors argue demonstrate comey&#8217;s misleading testimony to Congress. However, concerns about the legality of the evidence and privileged material surfaced during prior proceedings, contributing to the dismissal of Comey&#8217;s indictment.Despite the DOJ&#8217;s consideration of re-filing charges, access to key evidence is now severely limited by the court&#8217;s order.<\/p>\n<p>Simultaneously occurring, efforts to retry Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges are also stalling after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/officer-who-saved-young-girl-from-knife-attacker-makhia-bryant-cleared-of-wrongdoing\/\" title=\"Officer Who Saved Young Girl From Knife Attacker Ma\u2019Khia Bryant Cleared of Wrongdoing\">grand jury declined<\/a> to indict her, following the collapse of the original case due to issues with the acting U.S. attorney&#8217;s appointment. Both Comey and James have denied any wrongdoing and claim the prosecutions are politically motivated. Critics note a contrast in judicial treatment between these cases and others, such as those involving former President Trump, where courts have shown more willingness to approve aggressive prosecutorial tactics. The DOJ has been ordered to comply with the restraining order swiftly and respond legally by upcoming deadlines, amid claims from sources that the ruling represents judicial activism.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DOJ faces setbacks in road to reviving Comey and James indictments<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2412967\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department&rsquo;s<\/a> efforts to revive its collapsed prosecutions of former FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comey\/\">James Comey<\/a> and New York Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/letitia-james\/\">Letitia James<\/a> confronted new legal hurdles over the weekend as judges scrutinized investigative tactics and restricted access to evidence prosecutors once relied on.<\/p>\n<p>The most consequential blow came Saturday, when U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3909769\/judge-blocks-doj-using-former-comey-lawyer-data\/\">issued a temporary restraining order<\/a> blocking prosecutors from accessing a trove of digital records seized years ago from Columbia Law School professor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3874227\/emails-contradict-james-comey-sworn-denial-media-leaks\/\">Daniel Richman<\/a>, Comey&rsquo;s longtime confidant, occasional attorney, and the central figure in the government&rsquo;s theory of the case.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3911752\/judge-allows-doj-release-ghislaine-maxwell-grand-jury-transcripts\/\">Judge allows DOJ to release Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury transcripts<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3910821\/fbi-agents-patel-lawsuit-kneeling-george-floyd-protest\/\">Twelve ex-FBI agents sue Patel over terminations after they kneeled during 2020 George Floyd protest<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3910469\/former-trump-lawyer-alina-habba-resigns-acting-us-attorney-new-jersey\/\">Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba resigns as acting US attorney for New Jersey<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Kollar-Kotelly, an appointee of former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-clinton\/\">Bill Clinton<\/a>, found that Richman is likely to succeed on his claim that investigators violated his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fourth-amendment\/\">Fourth Amendment<\/a> rights by retaining &ldquo;a complete copy of all files on his personal computer&rdquo; and later searching them &ldquo;without a warrant.&rdquo; The judge said the DOJ could not even clarify who possesses Richman&rsquo;s data or where they are stored, writing that &ldquo;uncertainty about its whereabouts&rdquo; justified immediate intervention.<\/p>\n<p>Her order requires prosecutors to identify, segregate, and secure Richman&rsquo;s computer image, iCloud data, and Columbia email archives, and to refrain from accessing any of it without court approval.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-richman-matters-for-the-case-against-comey\">Why Richman matters for the case against Comey<\/h2>\n<p>The order cuts directly into the evidentiary spine of the Comey case. Prosecutors built their original false-statement and obstruction charges around the 2017 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\">FBI<\/a> leak investigation known as&nbsp;Arctic Haze, which examined media disclosures surrounding the Hillary Clinton email inquiry and the Trump-Russia investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Internal FBI memos from that investigation show that Comey personally arranged for Richman to be designated a special government employee with access to sensitive information so he could consult with Comey &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-08\/Arctic%20Haze%20and%20Daniel%20Richman.pdf\">outside of the FBI&rsquo;s regular leadership<\/a>.&rdquo; Those records describe Richman as a de facto &ldquo;liaison to the media&rdquo; during periods of damaging press coverage.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators focused on a 2017 <em>New York Times<\/em> article referencing <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/04\/22\/us\/politics\/james-comey-election.html\">purported Russian-sourced intelligence<\/a> involving former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, a document the FBI <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/how-a-dubious-russian-document-influenced-the-fbis-handling-of-the-clinton-probe\/2017\/05\/24\/f375c07c-3a95-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html\">later assessed as fabricated<\/a>. Records released by Congress indicate that Comey nevertheless directed Richman to reference that material with reporters to defend his conduct in the Hillary Clinton case.<\/p>\n<p>That long record of sanctioned media contacts is central to prosecutors&rsquo; allegation that Comey misled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\">Congress<\/a> in 2020 when he reaffirmed his prior denials of authorizing leaks. Identifying and interpreting Richman&rsquo;s communications, including those seized from his devices and cloud accounts, is essential to the government&rsquo;s theory about what Comey allowed Richman to do on his behalf behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<p>The restraining order also intersects with concerns long flagged by the court. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3889291\/judge-orders-doj-turn-over-grand-jury-materials-james-comey-missteps\/\">recently warned<\/a> that the FBI case agent who testified to the grand jury may have reviewed privileged or improperly seized material from Richman&rsquo;s devices, possibly contaminating the case before the indictment was tossed for unrelated reasons.<\/p>\n<p>Those questions were never resolved because U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3897002\/james-comey-letitia-james-indictments-tossed-lindsey-halligan\/\">dismissed Comey&rsquo;s indictment<\/a> on Nov. 24 after finding that acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully installed. The DOJ is still considering whether to seek a new indictment, but any renewed effort would have to contend with severely narrowed access to the Richman material.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-judges-went-further-for-jack-smith\">Judges went further for Jack Smith<\/h2>\n<p>The decision by Kollar-Kotelly contrasts sharply with how courts treated similar issues in then-special counsel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\">Jack Smith&rsquo;s<\/a> classified-documents investigation. There, federal judges repeatedly pierced the attorney-client privilege after finding Smith had met the crime-fraud threshold.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters Friday, June 9, 2023, in Washington. Smith&rsquo;s investigations into former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s retention of classified records and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election have cost more than $9 million over the first several months, according to documents released Friday, July 7. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The most sweeping example came when Chief Judge Beryl Howell <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/29194\/trump-attorney-ordered-to-testify-in-classified-documents-investigation-report\/\">ordered Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran to testify<\/a> without privilege protections and turn over contemporaneous notes &mdash; a ruling the District of Columbia Circuit later affirmed. Judges also compelled testimony from other Trump attorneys, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/02\/11\/politics\/christina-bobb-trump-mar-a-lago-grand-jury\">including Christina Bobb<\/a>, after determining Smith had shown sufficient evidence of obstruction.<\/p>\n<p>That aggressive posture underscores the gap between cases in which prosecutors make a strong evidentiary showing and cases such as Comey&rsquo;s, in which judges raise fundamental questions about the integrity and handling of the underlying evidence. Critics say judges more readily approved novel or aggressive prosecutorial moves in the Trump cases while carefully scrutinizing prosecutors&rsquo; requests in the cases against Comey and James.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-doj-deadline-to-respond-approaching\">DOJ deadline to respond approaching<\/h2>\n<p>Kollar-Kotelly placed the dispute on a fast track, ordering the DOJ to certify by Monday that it has complied with her sequestration order and to file its legal response to Richman&rsquo;s petition by Tuesday. Her restraining order remains in effect through Friday unless she cancels it earlier. No hearing date has been set.<\/p>\n<p>A source familiar with the DOJ&rsquo;s thinking, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/reaganreese_\/status\/1997501442328809526\">speaking to the&nbsp;<em>Daily Caller<\/em><\/a>, called the ruling &ldquo;judicial activism,&rdquo; arguing that the judge issued the order before the government had a chance to respond. The source described the development as a &ldquo;minor setback&rdquo; and insisted the underlying legal issues favor DOJ&rsquo;s position.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-letitia-james-case-hits-another-wall\">Letitia James case hits another wall<\/h2>\n<p>The government&rsquo;s parallel effort to relaunch the mortgage fraud prosecution of James is also faltering.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3907257\/grand-jury-declines-reindict-letitia-james\/\">GRAND JURY DECLINES TO INDICT LETITIA JAMES AFTER EARLIER CASE COLLAPSED<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A Norfolk, Virginia, grand jury last week refused to indict her on bank-fraud and false-statement charges after hearing a fresh presentation meant to cure the flaws that had doomed the original indictment. That case, like Comey&rsquo;s, collapsed after Currie ruled Halligan&rsquo;s appointment illegal.<\/p>\n<p>Both James and Comey have denied wrongdoing and accused the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a> of political retaliation. Prosecutors could make yet another attempt or pursue charges in both cases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ hits new legal hurdles reviving Comey, James cases<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2519234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-collage-t69wvc8p2-1764730007820-e1764730222895.jpg?1765279878&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[23264,7076,68502,50708],"class_list":["post-2519233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-comey","tag-doj","tag-james-cases","tag-setbacks-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-collage-t69wvc8p2-1764730007820-e1764730222895.jpg?1765279878&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2519233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2519233"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2519233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2519237,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2519233\/revisions\/2519237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2519234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2519233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2519233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2519233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}