Barbara McQuade, Columnist

The FBI’s Treatment of Comey Takes a Reality TV Turn

October 6, 2025 at 11:30 AM UTC

Barbara McQuade is a professor at the University of Michigan Law school, a former US attorney and author of the forthcoming book, "The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government."

Law enforcement as political theater.
Photographer: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America

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The made-for-TV Trump administration appears to be gearing up to air its latest episode.

CBS News reports that the FBI is planning to subject James Comey to a “perp walk,” parading him before cameras in an exercise meant to publicly humiliate him. Not only would a staged arrest violate Justice Department policy, but it would also further undermine the legitimacy of what was once considered the world’s greatest law enforcement agency.