Douglas DePodesta, who led the FBI’s Chicago field office, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday alleging that senior Justice Department officials pushed a politically motivated case against six protesters and then used the fallout to force his resignation. The lawsuit claims that U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, the top federal prosecutor for the Northern District of Illinois, orchestrated a campaign within the DOJ to scapegoat DePodesta after the so‑called “Broadview Six” case collapsed.
Allegations of political pressure
According to the complaint, Boutros repeatedly pressured DePodesta to open FBI investigations into individuals whose political views opposed the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. Emails cited in the filing show Boutros demanding that DePodesta pursue felony charges even when assistant U.S. attorneys preferred misdemeanors or no charges at all.
DePodesta’s attorneys argue that Boutros sought to “slap protesters with felony charges” during the federal immigration enforcement operation known as Operation Midway Blitz, which targeted roughly 30 demonstrators in Chicago. Many of those charges have since been dropped or dismissed.
Broadview Six case collapses
In October, Boutros charged six protesters with conspiring to obstruct a federal officer after a demonstration at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview. Grand‑jury transcripts later revealed that jurors twice declined to indict the six individuals. By May, all charges were withdrawn as the court began examining possible prosecutorial misconduct.
The complaint states that Boutros told DOJ leadership that DePodesta and his sister‑in‑law, attorney Nancy DePodesta, “conspired to destroy” the case. Nancy DePodesta defended her husband, saying, “There is no one at the FBI who took their oath of office and their ethical and moral responsibilities more seriously than Doug. It is both heartbreaking and shameful that he was forced out based on utterly false rumors spread by Boutros.”
Judicial response
U.S. District Judge April Perry ordered Boutros and three assistant attorneys to testify under oath on November 16 regarding the Broadview Six case. In her order, Judge Perry wrote, “There is more than an adequate factual basis for the Court to pursue an inquiry as to whether willful false statements were made to the court.”
Earlier this year, one of the prosecutors on the case resigned, alleging that Boutros had “scapegoated and publicly vilified” her. She has asked the court to be treated as an independent party in any further proceedings.
DOJ’s position
Boutros has denied that politics influenced his charging decisions. The Department of Justice has not provided comment beyond standard procedural responses.
Fox News Digital reached out to DOJ officials for comment; no response was received at the time of publication.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
