On Oct. 28, Protect Democracy filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. The amicus brief places the Comey indictment within a “larger pattern of prosecutions” by the administration targeting perceived opponents. 

The brief cites numerous examples of weaponized retaliatory prosecutions, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, which are documented in Protect Democracy’s retaliatory actions tracker.

“This indictment did not happen in a vacuum. It is the predictable result of a relentless, public campaign by the President to use the Department of Justice to punish his critics and political opponents,” said Kristy Parker, special counsel at Protect Democracy. “When the state’s most powerful law enforcement tools are wielded as a political weapon, it endangers the rule of law for every American. Our brief urges the court to recognize this pattern of politicized prosecution as a profound threat to our democratic system and to closely examine the government’s conduct in every case.”

Additionally, the brief outlines how the current government’s pattern of vindictiveness against perceived enemies deviates greatly from typical law enforcement activities. A full copy of the amicus brief can be found here.