US Judge Blocks Use of Old Evidence to Seek Fresh Indictment Against Comey

A US federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from using a large cache of evidence to seek a new indictment against former FBI director James Comey.

Since returning to power in January, President Donald Trump has been urging the Justice Department to pursue cases against Comey, now aged 64, and several other individuals seen as his political opponents.

Comey, 64, was charged in September with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. However, the case collapsed last month after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who filed the charges had been unlawfully appointed.

In a further development on Saturday, District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a four-page order barring the government, at least until Friday, from accessing communications between Comey and his close associate and former lawyer, Daniel Richman.

The order effectively prevents the Trump administration from using the same evidence to seek fresh charges in the coming days.

The judge supported a claim by Richman’s lawyers that the US government had violated his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches by retaining a complete copy of all files from his personal computer.

Comey was appointed FBI director by former president Barack Obama in 2013 but was dismissed by Trump in 2017 amid an investigation into whether Trump’s campaign had colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.

A separate case against another Trump critic, New York Attorney General Letitia James, also stalled following a ruling that the prosecutor involved was unlawfully appointed.

Khaborwala/SS