Virginia federal judge William Fitzpatrick warned prosecutors Monday that their case against former FBI Director James Comey could be in jeopardy after he determined that the government's handling of the case raises "genuine questions of misconduct" that could result in the dismissal of the case. charges.

In his ruling, the judge granted the request of Comey's lawyers, who had asked the prosecution to hand over the grand jury transcripts related to the formal indictment against Comey.

While the judge acknowledged that his order was an unusual measure, he said that “the record reveals a troubling pattern of serious errors in the investigation, errors that led an FBI agent and a prosecutor to potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceedings.”

The judge warned that “government misconduct” could jeopardize the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey due to apparent procedural errors by the special prosecutor appointed by President Donald Trump, Lindsey Halligan.

Federal Judge William Fitzpatrick of Virginia rebuked the prosecution for failing to previously provide Comey's defense with all the materials used to prosecute the former director and disclosed to a grand jury.

“The court determines that the government's actions in this case—whether intentional, reckless, or negligent—raise genuine questions of malpractice, are inextricably linked to the government's presentation to the grand jury, and merit thorough exploration by the defense," Judge Fitzpatrick wrote in a 24-page ruling. Comey, accused of making false statements and obstructing Congress, has requested the dismissal of the case against him on several grounds, including the potential grand jury irregularities that Fitzpatrick raised on Monday. The former FBI director has insisted that Trump's appointment of prosecutor Halligan,It was an illegal act and his prosecution is due to his marked animosity with the president.Comey clashed with Trump primarily over the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and his handling of Hillary Clinton's email misuse case. His decisions regarding the Clinton email investigation and his resistance to political pressure on other inquiries angered the Republican, who publicly criticized him and eventually fired him in May 2017.