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tblue37

(67,271 posts)
Mon Oct 6, 2025, 06:41 PM 8 hrs ago

The FBI's Treatment of Comey Takes a Reality TV Turn [View all]

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-10-06/fbi-comey-perp-walk-is-political-spectacle-not-law-enforcement

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The made-for-TV Trump administration appears to be gearing up to air its latest episode.

CBS News reports that the FBI is planning to subject James Comey to a “perp walk,” parading him before cameras in an exercise meant to publicly humiliate him. Not only would a staged arrest violate Justice Department policy, but it would also further undermine the legitimacy of what was once considered the world’s greatest law enforcement agency.

According to the report, the FBI is considering making a “showy” arrest of its former director, who was indicted Sept. 25 for allegedly lying to Congress in 2020, and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. CBS also reported that a source revealed that FBI leadership had requested “large, beefy” agents to arrest Comey “in full kit,” complete with Kevlar vests and other garments bearing the letters “FBI.” The source further reported that a supervisor in the Violent Crimes Division of the Washington Field Office refused to assemble agents for the stunt and was suspended for insubordination.

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Even if an arrest could be justified in this case, a perp walk is something e. The DOJ’s Justice Manual provides that personnel “should not encourage or assist news media in photographing or televising a person held in custody.” The policy is designed to avoid prejudicing a defendant’s right to a fair trial. In fact, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a “perp walk” staged for the benefit of the press, which serves no legitimate law enforcement purpose, exacerbates the seizure of the arrestee unreasonably, in violation of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable seizures.

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