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This evidence sharply contradicts Comey’s public insistence that he is the victim of political targeting rather than a legitimate criminal inquiry. The revelations also bolster claims made by U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who has long argued that Comey weaponized media leaks for personal and political gain.
Richman’s files were seized by federal authorities years ago, but he recently returned to court demanding they remain off-limits to prosecutors. On Saturday, he scored a major win when U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly — a Clinton-appointed judge — granted his request for a Temporary Restraining Order, preventing the DOJ from accessing the seized materials.
The judge outlined three specific and explicit reasons for issuing the TRO:
1) “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has not yet entered an appearance to make representations on behalf of the Government, and counsel for the Government has not yet been identified.”
2) “The Government has not yet indicated who has custody of the material at issue, and neither the Petitioner nor the Court can determine the identity of the custodian until the Government appears in this case.”
3) “The Court finds that the Government has received actual notice of Petitioner Richman’s Motion, ensuring that the Government is positioned to act promptly to seek any appropriate relief from this Order.”
For now, the TRO will remain in effect until December 12, unless the court decides to dissolve it sooner. The Justice Department has been ordered to respond to Richman’s motion no later than December 9.
But this legal twist isn’t the only dramatic turn in Comey’s saga.
Last Monday, a separate federal judge unexpectedly dismissed the criminal cases against both James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Judge Cameron McGowan Currie — also a Clinton appointee — ruled that U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan’s appointment violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. The same ruling declared that Attorney General Pam Bondi’s effort to retroactively approve Halligan’s actions was “ineffective.”
For Letitia James, the developments continued when a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia later declined to indict her.
However, Comey shouldn’t get too comfortable. The DOJ is already preparing to refile charges, signaling that prosecutors have no intention of letting the former FBI director walk away unchallenged.
As these conflicting court decisions collide and new evidence continues to surface, one thing is certain: the legal storm surrounding James Comey is nowhere near over — and Washington is bracing for what comes next.
