DOJ admits full grand jury never reviewed final Comey indictment

The Department of Justice admitted on Nov. 19, 2025 that the full grand jury never reviewed the final indictment against James Comey. Only the foreperson and one other juror saw the two-count version of the indictment. U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan testified to this in a hearing before Judge Michael Nachmanoff.

Lindsey Halligan was appointed by Trump to serve as U.S. Attorney despite having no prosecutorial experience. She's a former Trump campaign attorney and insurance lawyer. Halligan's testimony showed that the grand jury voted to indict Comey on 2 of 3 counts, but a grand jury coordinator then edited the final indictment without the full jury reviewing the changes.

Comey's attorney MDMichael Dreeben, former Deputy Solicitor General, argued there is no indictment because the full grand jury never reviewed the final charging document. Dreeben said this violated fundamental grand jury procedures and constitutional protections.

The DOJ reversed course on Nov. 21, 2025, claiming the full grand jury did review the final indictment. This directly contradicted Halligan's sworn testimony from two days earlier. The DOJ provided no explanation for the contradiction or evidence supporting the new claim.

Judge CCCameron Currie dismissed the case on Nov. 24, 2025, ruling that Halligan lacked lawful authority to bring the prosecution. Currie found that Halligan's lack of prosecutorial credentials and her prior role as Trump's personal attorney created conflicts that invalidated the indictment. The judge didn't rule on the grand jury irregularities because the case was dismissed on other grounds.

Comey was accused of lying in a 2020 congressional hearing about whether he authorized FBI officials to brief journalists about the Russia investigation. The case was widely seen as vindictive prosecution based on Trump's years of anti-Comey social media posts and his demands that Attorney General Pam Bondi deliver justice against the former FBI director.