«The Justice Department needs to understand that these types of public statements can jeopardize the integrity of a criminal case and affect the rights of the defendants.»
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday criticized the U.S. Justice Department for speaking to the media about the ongoing investigation into the deadly Jan.6 attack on the Capitol by former President Donald Trump’s supporters. In an unusual court hearing, Mehta said he was “surprised” by remarks prosecutor Michael Sherwin made to the CBS program “60 Minutes,” and “troubled” by a New York Times article that cited anonymous Justice Department sources. Mehta said the news coverage could affect potential jurors and undermine the constitutional rights of defendants to a fair trial.
