Judge in Comey case raises alarm over 'profound investigative missteps'

A magistrate judge expressed alarm Monday at what he called "a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps" that may have irreversibly tainted the prosecution of James Comey and violated the former FBI director's constitutional rights, in a scathing opinion granting Comey's attorneys access to a vast trove of grand jury evidence. Judge William Fitzpatrick ordered the Trump administration to turn over a full transcript and recording of the September grand jury presentation by Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, which he said included instances where she may have made "fundamental misstatements of the law that could compromise the integrity of the grand jury process." "The Court recognizes that the relief sought by the defense is rarely granted," Fitzpatrick said in a r