A federal magistrate judge ruled that the Justice Department committed a “disturbing pattern” of serious investigative errors in securing the grand jury indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Judge William Fitzpatrick cited fundamental legal misstatements to the grand jury, possible use of privileged communications, and irregularities in the grand jury transcript.

He ordered prosecutors to turn over all grand jury materials to Comey’s defense team, noting that such relief is rare but warranted given the missteps.

The ruling highlights procedural failures and prosecutorial inexperience that threaten the Trump-backed case against Comey, as well as a parallel prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James, AP has reported.

Both defendants argue the cases are politically motivated and that prosecutor Lindsey Halligan was improperly appointed, with a separate judge expected to rule on that issue by Thanksgiving.