WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday tossed out a criminal case accusing two former senior FBI officials of lying about their involvement in investigations into former US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, excoriating the Justice Department for bringing what he described as a political prosecution before Tuesday’s midterm elections.
US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui threw out the case at a remarkably early stage, finding that prosecutors had not shown sufficient evidence that the two officials, Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, had knowingly made false statements.
“What has transpired here cannot be described as anything other than weaponization” of federal law enforcement, Faruqui said during a court hearing.
The decision deals another blow to the Justice Department’s attempts to investigate people President Donald Trump views as adversaries. It came after a hearing in Washington federal court last week delved into how Trump has exerted control over the DOJ during his second term.
Faruqui, in handing down his decision, assailed the Justice Department for what he described as a rushed investigation that made “critical mistakes” and departed from normal procedures. He suggested that high-ranking officials sought to charge the case last month to influence the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
“I will not bury my head in the sand and pretend I cannot read a calendar,” Faruqui said in court. “I will not lobotomize myself that way.”
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward, editing by Bhargav Acharya, Doina Chiacu and Chizu Nomiyama )
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