Federal judge to hear arguments on Friday over leak case that was twice previously investigated with no action taken

Lawyers for the former FBI director James Comey will ask a federal judge on Friday to block the US justice department from pursuing its third criminal case against him.

Comey is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, in open feud since the US president fired him from that post early in his first term, and he is a frequent target of Republican outrage.

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© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Federal judge to hear arguments on Friday over leak case that was twice previously investigated with no action taken

Lawyers for the former FBI director James Comey will ask a federal judge on Friday to block the US justice department from pursuing its third criminal case against him.

Comey is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, in open feud since the US president fired him from that post early in his first term, and he is a frequent target of Republican outrage.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Defense lawyers and Democrats say a blitz of headline-making actions and cases is no coincidence and reeks of politics — in both the timing and the targets.

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Speaking to reporters on the tarmac before departing for a campaign event in Michigan, JD Vance responded to a question about President Trump’s remarks branding Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as a “jihadist.”

Vance, who has sparred with the progressive El-Sayed repeatedly on the campaign trail, took a somewhat softer tone. But he didn’t walk away from Trump’s remarks.

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© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

The Trump administration is attempting to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey for what it calls disclosing classified information, employing the unusual maneuver of bypassing a grand jury.

The judge noted that Comey had worked on some of the nation's highest-profile cases and consistently received stellar reviews.