A federal judge in Detroit wants to know if politics motivated the prosecution of lawyer and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Geoffrey Fieger, who is accused of illegally donating $127,000 to John Edwards’ campaign in 2004, the Detroit Free Press reports.
U.S. District Judge Paul Borman also wanted to know why it took 75 to 80 federal agents to raid Fieger’s law office and confront 32 employees on the doorsteps after dark in November 2005.“I’m just trying to figure out how it went down,” Borman told Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Helland. He said he couldn’t recall that many agents involved in any other raid during his 13 years on the federal bench.
Borman is considering a request from Fieger’s lawyers to allow them to investigate whether the White House or former Justice Department officials instigated the prosecution. That investigation could include deposing former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Karl Rove.