"The firmly worded order out of Manhattan singles out two DOJ officials who retweeted President Donald Trump's televised remarks on Friday and Saturday. "He shot someone in the back as clear as you're looking at me," Trump had said of Mangione in a Fox interview. "He shot him right in the middle of the back - instantly dead. This is a sickness." Trump's remarks, posted on the White House-affiliated X.com account Rapid Response 47, were then reposted by DOJ spokesman Chad Gilmartin and by Brian Nieves, a chief of staff at Main Justice."
"In her order, US District Court Judge Margaret M. Garnett referenced a federal rule that bars prosecutors, defense lawyers, and their employees from making prejudicial pretrial statements, particularly concerning the guilt or innocence of parties in their cases. "Multiple employees at the Department of Justice may have violated Local Criminal Rule 23.1," she wrote. Garnett had specifically referenced the rule during Mangione's April court appearance. On that date, she directed prosecutors "to ensure that the highest levels of the Department of Justice, up to and including Attorney General Bondi, were aware of and understood they were bound by this Rule," as she noted in Wednesday's order, referencing AG Pam Bondi."
A federal judge threatened to sanction Department of Justice officials for making prejudicial pretrial statements about Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the December shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The judge singled out two DOJ employees who reposted President Donald Trump's televised remarks alleging Mangione shot Thompson in the back. The posts appeared on the White House-affiliated X.com Rapid Response 47 account and were later deleted. The judge cited a federal rule and Local Criminal Rule 23.1 that bar prosecutors, defense lawyers, and their employees from commenting on guilt or innocence. The judge previously directed prosecutors to ensure top DOJ leaders, including Attorney General Bondi, understood they were bound by the rule.
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