Judge accuses prosecutors in James Comey case of taking an 'indict first, investigate later' approach

Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick voiced his concerns at a hearing about how prosecutors were handling evidence against the former FBI director.

A federal judge blasted Justice Department prosecutors on Wednesday several times for what he described as an “indict first, investigate later” attitude in the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey.

Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick voiced his concerns at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria about how prosecutors from the Eastern District of Virginia were handling evidence against Comey, who was indicted in September on one count of making a false statement and one count of obstructing a congressional proceeding stemming from his testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.