Well, would you look at that — even a federal judge is starting to notice what the rest of us have been shouting from the rooftops for years: the Justice Department has been playing a little too fast and loose with the whole “due process” thing, especially when it comes to politically charged cases. During a short — but telling — hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia, Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick put the DOJ on blast for what’s starting to look like a pattern of “indict first, investigate later” antics. Imagine that. A judge actually calling them out for flipping the justice system upside down like a D.C. pancake.
This particular hearing was about none other than former FBI Director James Comey. Remember him? The guy who somehow managed to bungle (or manipulate, depending on who you ask) every politically sensitive investigation he touched during his time at the Bureau — from Hillary’s email server to Crossfire Hurricane. Now, he’s the one in the hot seat, and it seems the DOJ’s handling of his case is raising a few judicial eyebrows.
Judge Fitzpatrick questioned how prosecutors are using evidence from search warrants dating back to 2019 and 2020 — data that just now, five and a half years later, is being thrown into the case. The problem? This mountain of documents wasn’t just sitting in a corner collecting dust; prosecutors were combing through it long before Comey’s defense team even had a chance to see what was in there. And to make matters worse, Fitzpatrick raised concerns about whether some of the material might be protected by attorney-client privilege. You’d think that kind of thing would matter to the Department of Justice, but hey — what’s a little constitutional protection between political rivals?
But here’s where things get even juicier: the judge admitted that the defense is operating at a disadvantage. Imagine preparing a defense when the feds have had five years to build their narrative, and you get handed a mountain of documents with the clock already ticking. According to Fitzpatrick, it’s an “unfair burden” — but apparently there’s no better way forward. In other words, the train is already moving, and good luck catching up.
Of course, Comey’s lawyers aren’t staying quiet. They’re throwing around claims of “selective prosecution” and painting their client as the victim of a political hit job orchestrated by — wait for it — Donald Trump. Predictable, right? Comey, who once acted like the self-appointed moral compass of the Beltway, now wants us to believe he’s just an innocent target of Trump’s vendetta.
The DOJ, naturally, is denying any connection to Trump’s Truth Social post back in September where he called on AG Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey, Schiff, Letitia James, and basically the whole anti-Trump All-Star Team. According to the DOJ’s 48-page response (yes, 48 pages), the President was simply expressing his opinion. They argue there’s no “direct evidence” of political motivation — just Trump’s personal feelings and a DOJ that totally made its own independent decisions. Right. Because in the last few years, the DOJ has just been a beacon of neutrality and restraint.
Let’s not kid ourselves. The DOJ has developed a knack for swooping in with indictments when the headlines are hot and the narrative needs boosting. But when it comes to cleaning up their own procedural messes? Not so much. Fitzpatrick’s comments, while measured, underscore what a lot of Americans already suspect — that justice in this country is increasingly about timing, optics, and power, not blind fairness or equal treatment.
So here we are. Comey’s case moves forward, the DOJ scrambles to defend itself from looking overtly political (while being, let’s face it, overtly political), and the media dutifully pretends this is all just business as usual. But at least someone in a black robe is willing to say what many on the right have known for a long time — the system is rigged, the scales are tipped, and calling it justice doesn’t make it just.
