A senior White House official is accusing a federal judge of supporting the doxing of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, lashing out at the judge with comments made to Axios, the outlet reported Friday.
Barbara Wien, an activist and professor at American University in Washington, D.C., was targeted by the Justice Department this week after she allegedly posted a flyer that included Miller’s likeness, the phrase “NO NAZIS IN NOVA,” and Miller’s home address. The DOJ pushed for courts to approve its petition for a warrant to seize Wien’s phone, but were rejected late Wednesday night by Magistrate Judge Lindsey Vaala.
Wien, who’s not been charged with a crime, has maintained her innocence through her attorney, and the Trump administration has turned its sights on Vaala.
"The position of the judge and the justice system in Northern Virginia is, Stephen Miller deserves this, so it shouldn't be investigated," said a senior Trump official, speaking with Axios on the condition of anonymity in the outlet’s report Friday. "This is just about gathering evidence to see if there should be an arrest. And the judges are blocking it."
Another White House official railed against the criminal justice system over Vaala’s denial of the DOJ’s warrant request, and despite the White House having wielded enormous influence over the criminal justice system during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
"A lot of administration officials feel it's a problem that you have to live in Virginia or D.C. or Maryland,” a White House official told Axios, also speaking on the condition of anonymity. “But the criminal justice system will not protect you and your family.”
According to Wien’s attorney, Bradley Haywood, law enforcement has already taken his client’s phone, and are now hoping to have a judge approve their request to search through it. Haywood called the seizure of Wien’s phone as unlawful, and accused the DOJ of violating his client’s “protected speech.”
"No charges have been brought,” Haywood told Axios. “No subsequent search warrants have been sought or been issued. State police are unlawfully holding this property."