A federal judge tore into prosecutors on Thursday after they abruptly dropped the case against a man who had been accused of threatening to kill former President Donald Trump. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui didn’t hold back, saying the country is “past the point of constitutional crisis” and warning that the Justice Department is losing credibility.
The case involved Edward Dana, who prosecutors said drunkenly broke a light fixture and made threats against Trump. Dana was jailed for a week before the charges were suddenly dismissed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office. That decision left the judge fuming.
“Why is the government not out of sheer embarrassment and shame seeking to dismiss with prejudice and expunge the record?” Faruqui asked in court, according to CBS correspondent Scott MacFarlane. He said the government was treating the case like it was nothing unusual when in fact it raised serious constitutional concerns.
Faruqui accused the Justice Department of focusing on quick numbers for social media instead of actual justice. “We’re acting like this is all normal,” he said. “What’s to prevent people from just getting rounded up off the streets? These are people with names and rights!”
The judge stressed that Dana wasn’t the only one paying the price. “People like Mr. Dana are suffering the consequences,” he said, adding that the department was losing credibility by bringing flimsy cases that don’t hold up in court.
At one point, Faruqui addressed the prosecutors directly. “You created this mess,” he said, blasting Pirro’s office for what he described as “too many misfires.” He warned that the message being sent to ordinary people was chilling. “The government’s message to people who look like Mr. Dana is … ‘be very afraid!’ I’m afraid right now.”
Faruqui gave prosecutors a deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday to submit a written plan explaining how they intended to avoid similar mistakes going forward.
The broader issue, he noted, is that grand juries have refused to indict in at least nine recent cases brought by Pirro’s office since Trump ordered a federal takeover of policing in Washington, D.C. For the judge, that track record shows a troubling pattern that goes beyond just Dana’s case.
The hearing left prosecutors on the defensive as Faruqui’s frustration echoed concerns about how federal power is being used in the capital. With cases repeatedly collapsing and judges calling out the government’s approach, the Justice Department now faces mounting questions about how it’s handling prosecutions under heightened political pressure.
Word of the judge’s comments spread quickly, with Faruqui’s warning standing out as a stark reminder of what’s at stake. “We’re past the point of constitutional crisis,” he said, underlining just how seriously he views the Justice Department’s missteps.