A judge on Wednesday said the Justice Department has violated court rules concerning public statements made by officials about Luigi Mangione. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A federal judge overseeing the criminal case of accused murderer Luigi Mangione rebuked the Trump administration on Wednesday for making public statements that could prejudice the jurors.
The written order from Judge Margaret Garnett of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York ordered the senior Justice Department officials to explain how they came to make comments calling Luigi the murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in violation of Local Criminal Rule 23.1 and an April 25 court order against speaking publicly about the case.
"The Government is also directed to advise the Deputy Attorney General, for dissemination within the Department as appropriate, that future violations may result in sanctions, which could include personal financial penalties, contempt of court findings or relief specific to the prosecution of this matter," Garnett said.
The rebuke stems from comments President Donald Trump made last week during a Fox News interview in which he said that Mangione "shot someone in the back as clear as you're looking at me."
