Judge dings DOJ for contemplating warrantless search of Comey friend's files 'in direct contravention' of court orders
Source: Law & Crime
Dec 29th, 2025, 10:18 am
A federal judge over the weekend tersely reminded the DOJ that it cannot simply search the long ago seized files of James Comey's former lawyer and friend for "classified material" absent a "valid search warrant," as the government appeals the dismissal of the ex-FBI director's prosecution.
Senior U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said her prior orders were already clear that the DOJ cannot conduct warrantless searches for classified information in Daniel Richman's personal computer files, but just in case the Trump administration wasn't fully aware of that reality, she took it upon herself to "re-emphasize those obligations."
In the Saturday order, the judge chided the government for apparently asking her for "permission" to search Richman's seized files for "classified material" without "obtaining a valid search warrant," the very behavior her orders siding with Comey's friend walled off in the first place.
Richman's lawsuit against the government began in late November, not long after another federal judge dismissed Comey's case on the grounds that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi "unlawfully appointed" Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/the-court-has-been-equally-clear-judge-dings-doj-for-contemplating-warrantless-search-of-comey-friends-files-in-direct-contravention-of-court-orders/
Full headline: 'The Court has been equally clear': Judge dings DOJ for contemplating warrantless search of Comey friend's files 'in direct contravention' of court orders
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26443453/richman122725pdf.pdf
REFERENCES
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143578551
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143581681