DC federal judge tosses case against FBI officials accused of lying about Hunter Biden

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This will be a fun thread.

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Can’t wait to see all the lawfare definitions

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Is weaponization of the Justice Department lawfare?

Is a DC judge calling it weaponization of the Justice Department, lawfare?

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US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui

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In an emotional, hourlong address from the bench in Federal District Court in Washington, the magistrate judge, Zia M. Faruqui, said that the case against the former officials — Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides — was a rushed, political prosecution ordered by the White House intended to affect the upcoming midterm elections. Two weeks ago, the administration charged the former officials with falsely minimizing their work on investigations involving Hunter Biden, the son of the former president.

Judge Faruqui excoriated the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington for how it handled the case, admonishing prosecutors for trying to avoid some of the fundamental checks and balances of the criminal justice system. At the same time, he apologized directly to Ms. Floris and Mr. Benavides for having been “dragged through the process” of being charged by the same federal government they had admirably served for decades.

“I am deeply troubled by what happened here in the case,” Judge Faruqui said. “What has transpired here cannot be described as anything other than weaponization.”

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But during his speech, Judge Faruqui dismantled almost every aspect of the government’s case. He pointed out that most of the false statements the two defendants were charged with making were not actually false, that none of the false statements were made knowingly and that none of them had any material effect on the congressional investigation which they were called upon to assist.

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Who is Judge Zia Faruqui? What we know about the federal magistrate who apologized to Cole Allen

The magistrate judge who apologized to suspected would-be Trump assassin Cole Allen for his treatment inside a Washington, D.C., jail during a Monday emergency motion hearing has been criticized for his standoffishness with the Trump administration over the city's crime crackdown, and praised for his career-long commitment to DEI.

"To me, it’s extremely disturbing that he was put in five-point restraints, a person with no criminal history," Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, who devoted much of his career to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, said during the hearing, adding that Allen is presumed innocent.

He then compared Allen, who is accused of trying to kill President Donald Trump, with suspected Capitol rioters from Jan. 6, 2021.

"It’s troubling. I never heard of one Jan. 6 defendant who was put in five-point restraints or in a safe cell," he said. "If the only way to keep him safe is the most punitive thing, that’s a problem."

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