(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department's criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey is facing challenges, prompting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan and other officials to publicly criticize the judge overseeing the case. Their comments followed a hearing on Wednesday where they claimed the judge mischaracterized his remarks.

Halligan stated, "Personal attacks — like Judge Nachmanoff referring to me as a 'puppet' — don't change the facts or the law." She emphasized that a federal judge should maintain neutrality and impartiality. Halligan described the judge's comments as an "outrageous and unprofessional personal attack" during the court session. Chad Gilmartin, a spokesperson for the DOJ, reiterated Halligan's sentiments, asserting that the department will continue to adhere to the facts and the law.

The controversy arose during an exchange between U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff and Comey's attorney, Michael Dreeben. Judge Nachmanoff questioned whether Halligan was acting as a "puppet" or a "stalking horse" for President Donald Trump in his directives regarding Comey. However, Nachmanoff did not directly label Halligan as a "puppet" and did not challenge Dreeben's rejection of that characterization in court.

During the hearing, Judge Nachmanoff asked Dreeben, "So your view is that Ms. Halligan is a stalking horse or a puppet, for want of a better word, doing the president's bidding?" Dreeben responded, "Well, I don't want to use language about Ms. Halligan that suggests anything other than she did what she was told to do. The president of the United States has the authority to direct prosecutions. She worked in the White House. She was surely aware of the president's directive."

Comey was indicted in September on charges of lying to Congress. This indictment followed Trump's decision to replace U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert with Halligan, who had no prior prosecutorial experience. Trump had publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to act swiftly to prosecute Comey, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James and Rep. Adam Schiff. Comey has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During the hearing, Comey's attorney argued that Trump's actions in replacing Siebert and calling for charges against his political opponents amounted to "manipulating the machinery of prosecution" and represented an "egregious violation of bedrock constitutional values."

Halligan also testified that the grand jury that indicted Comey had voted to indict him on two of the three counts initially presented. However, she noted that the final indictment, which included the two counts Comey faces, was not reviewed by the entire grand jury, but only by the jury foreperson and one other juror.