Southeast
Federal judge calls Comey indictment into question, asks if Halligan is a ‘puppet’ for Trump
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ALEXANDRIA, Virginia – A federal judge grilled the Department of Justice Wednesday about whether it mishandled the grand jury indictment against former FBI Director James Comey and asked if interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who is leading the case, acted at the behest of President Donald Trump.
Judge Michael Nachmanoff found during the hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, that Halligan signed an indictment alleging two charges against Comey but that that document was never presented to the full grand jury, a revelation that could imperil the case if Nachmanoff decides it is enough to delegitimize the indictment.
Nachmanoff directed Halligan, who had no prosecutorial experience before Trump installed her to lead the Eastern District of Virginia in September, to come to the stand, giving her the chance to speak for the first time in the courtroom since her appointment.
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President Trump named former insurance lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney of the Eastern District of Virginia in September. (Marco Bello/AFP via Getty Images)
Halligan confirmed that she presented a prior indictment that showed three charges against Comey to the grand jury. The jurors had, however, rejected one of the charges, leading Halligan to later sign a second indictment leaving off that charge.
Tyler Lemons, the North Carolina-based federal prosecutor who argued on behalf of the DOJ, downplayed the issue. Lemons said the indictments were identical and that the second one was created as soon as the grand jury proceedings concluded and merely excised the one charge that the grand jury rejected.
Nachmanoff did not make any decisions about the validity of the indictment from the bench and instead ordered more briefing on the matter.
Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee about his interactions with President Donald Trump and the Russia investigation on June 8, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Comey’s lawyer Michael Dreeben viewed the document debacle as fatal to the case, saying it appears “there is no indictment.”
The grand jury dispute was part of a broader hearing centered on Comey’s argument that his charges were a product of Trump’s vindictiveness and that the case should be tossed out entirely because of it. Comey was present in the courtroom while Dreeben argued on his behalf.
Nachmanoff, a Biden appointee, asked Dreeben if Halligan was a “puppet” or a “stalking horse” who was doing Trump’s bidding.
Dreeben responded that he would not use those words but that his team believed Halligan was operating at the direction of Trump, rather than independently. Dreeben said Trump had a years-long vendetta against Comey, who has been a vocal opponent of Trump since the president fired him from the FBI in 2017.
Dreeben argued that a directive Trump posted on social media in September to Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly pressuring her to quickly bring charges against several of Trump’s political nemeses, including Comey, contained “tit-for-tat” messaging that proved the indictment was tainted by vengeance.
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Former FBI Director James Comey and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Trump had written in the post that he had read that Comey and others were “‘all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.’”
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.… They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump wrote.
Dreeben said the post was “effectively an admission that this is a political prosecution.”
Lemons said Trump also told the press he was uninvolved in Comey’s case, but Dreeben said the president “can’t just walk back” his social media post.
Dreeben bolstered his argument by laying out a timeline that showed Halligan, a former insurance lawyer and White House aide, assumed the top prosecutorial role and brought the indictment within four days.
Nachmanoff expressed doubt that Halligan had vetted Comey’s case.
“What independent evaluation could she have done [in four days]?” the judge asked.
He also pressed the DOJ on whether any memo existed that had advised against charging Comey, a question that follows the Trump administration ousting Halligan’s predecessor, Erik Siebert, in part because of his reluctance to prosecute the former FBI director.
Lemons struggled to answer the question before concluding that the memo, if it existed, would be a “privileged matter” that he did not have permission to disclose. He said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office directed him not to reveal any privileged material.
Meghan Tome contributed to this report.
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Southeast
Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work
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FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant who reported to a U.S. Border Patrol site in Florida to perform some Information technology contractual work was arrested when authorities were made aware of his citizenship status, officials said.
Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, reported to a USBP center in Dania Beach, Florida, Jan. 6 to do some IT work when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials began vetting him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital.
During its investigation, it was revealed Camacho was in violation of U.S. immigration laws, authorities said.
Angel Camacho reported to a Florida U.S. Border Patrol center to perform contractual work when he was arrested, a Department of Homeland Security official said. (Getty Images )
“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”
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This photo shows a U.S. Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 15, 2019. (Suzanne CordeiroAFP via Getty Images)
Camacho was arrested and transferred to ICE custody, Bis said.
His criminal history includes theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said. Federal authorities have nabbed several illegal immigrants in the process of trying to obtain employment in law enforcement and education.
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One Sierra Leone citizen was recently arrested as he was training to become a Pennsylvania corrections officer.
Another illegal immigrant, Ian Roberts, served as the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest district, Des Moines Public Schools, before he was arrested by ICE.
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Southeast
High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student
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A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.
GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.
A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)
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Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.
This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.
The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.
Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms
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A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.
The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.
The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.
A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)
In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”
“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”
Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”
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A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.
The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.
“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”
“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.
“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”
Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.
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A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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