Earlier this year, a grand jury formally indicted former FBI Director James Comey, shocking the nation and beginning a string of prosecutions of former officials led by the Trump administration. However, the Department of Justice admitted to an error on Wednesday that could call the whole case into question.

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From The Hill:

The Justice Department on Wednesday admitted that the operative indictment against former FBI Director James Comey was never presented to the full grand jury — a procedural error defense attorneys say should bar the prosecution.

The admission came under sharp questioning from U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, after several judges overseeing parts of the case had raised concerns about the government’s presentation and an apparent discrepancy in the grand jury record.

Instead of presenting a new indictment to the full panel after it rejected one of the counts, interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan gave the grand jury’s foreperson an updated version — not seen by the other grand jurors — to sign.

Michael Dreeben, a defense attorney for Comey, has latched on to the error, arguing it qualifies as grounds for dismissal. While the judge did not rule on the issue immediately, he did order prosecutors to address the matter by the end of Wednesday. We will update this article with any relevant information that comes out.

Another major issue for the Comey prosecution is what The Hill calls “the vindictive prosecution argument.” On Wednesday, Dreeben argued that Comey is only being prosecuted due to his history of animosity with the President. If Judge Nachmanoff decides Comey was unfairly singled out, it would unceremoniously end the case against him. The Hill notes, however, that “selective and vindictive prosecution claims” will be incredibly difficult to prove.

If these charges are not dismissed or otherwise halted, Comey is scheduled to stand trial on January 5. Let’s ask God to guide the lawyers and judge, and let’s pray for His will to be done!

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(Excerpt from The Hill. Photo Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)