PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey has been charged with lying to Congress and obstructing justice, with his case assigned to a Joe Biden-appointed federal judge.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: James Comey, Judge Michael Nachmanoff, President Donald J. Trump, attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, and lawyer William Shipley.

Newsletter Need to Know.

Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.

Thank You!

You are now subscribed to our newsletter.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The arraignment is scheduled for October 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He does not have a background that suggests ‘progressive’ activism as is true of many Biden appointed district judges, particularly those in the last 2 years of his Admin.” – William Shipley

🎯IMPACT: The case assignment raises questions about judicial impartiality.

Judge Michael Nachmanoff, a Joe Biden appointee who took the bench in 2021, has been assigned to oversee the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) prosecution of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey. Nachmanoff, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, has set Comey’s arraignment for October 9, with the former FBI director facing charges of lying to Congress and obstructing justice.

The Biden-appointed judge is a former public defender who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021, receiving unanimous support from Democrats and three Republicans: Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). While Nachmanoff’s partisan association with the former Biden government has raised concerns regarding his ability to be impartial in the case, some clues in his background offer support to the notion that, among the possible judges in the Eastern District of Virginia—almost all Democrat appointees—he is the most Trump-friendly draw.

Despite false social media claims that Nachmanoff was hired at the DOJ by Comey—in reality, the judge was clerking for U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema at the alleged time of his DOJ employment—former federal prosecutor William Shipley has suggested the judge could be reasonably open to the prosecution’s arguments. Shipley, on social media, pointed to Nachmanoff’s 2021 appointment and past as a public defender, rather than a career government official or academic, as evidence he may not be an “activist progressive judge.”

“He does not have a background that suggests ‘progressive’ activism as is true of many Biden appointed district judges, particularly those in the last 2 years of his Admin,” Shipley wrote. Judge Nachmanoff’s record includes a recent case where he sided with the Trump administration in allowing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to terminate Dr. Terry Adirim, who had implemented vaccine mandates under the Biden government.

However, President Donald J. Trump criticized the assignment of a Biden-appointed judge, calling Nachmanoff “crooked” on Truth Social. “He [Comey] was just assigned a Crooked Joe Biden appointed Judge, so he’s off to a very good start,” Trump wrote.

Comey has denied the allegations through his attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald. “Jim Comey denies the charges filed today in their entirety. We look forward to vindicating him in the courtroom,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.