Federal prosecutors at center of "Broadview Six" case face legal battle over conduct
It's a case that has upended the U.S. Department of Justice. The "Broadview Six" case has raised questions about the ethics of federal prosecutors possibly targeting protesters for political reasons.
The Broadview Six were back in court on Thursday, but they're not the ones in the hot seat anymore.
The federal charges they were facing were dropped, which some have said was an admission of wrongdoing by the Justice Department.
Now the issue has become about the U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, who was at the helm at the time they were charged. Boutros and his staff face allegations of a possible coverup of why the Broadview Six were charged in the first place.
"We knew from the beginning this case did not arise out of Chicago," said attorney Chris Parente, who represents one of the Broadview Six, who were arrested about a year ago for their actions at a protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview.
The case against them collapsed amid accusations about prosecutorial misconduct, concerns that there was a push for serious federal charges possibly because of the government's political agenda, and anger over a possible coverup
U.S. District Judge April Perry, who oversaw the case in federal court, is demanding the government provide more information so she can find out for herself.
"I think the message that has been sent is that no one is above the law. Typically in this building, the U.S. Attorney's office is holding people's feet to the fire for lying and for deceiving, and in this instance it certainly appears like the U.S. Attorney's office inside the four walls of Judge Perry's courtroom was not fully honest," Parente said.
At Thursday's hearing, Perry cited issues with possible "lack of candor," "concealment of material facts," and federal prosecutors' overall conduct before her in her own courtroom, which if true might constitute charges of obstruction of justice for Boutros or others working for him.
"If you're being prosecuted by the federal government, they should be doing it in an ethical and legal manner. It means a lot," CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller said.
Boutros was not in court on Thursday. Over the next few weeks, Perry is expected to be given access to more information, documents, transcripts, and testimony from the Broadview Six case, assuming the federal government does not decide it is privileged information that they do not need to reveal, a concern Perry noted.
After that, she'll decide if a special prosecutor is needed to investigate Boutros' office for criminal contempt.
