And Judge Dugan told agents to talk to the chief judge. She allowed the undocumented immigrant to exit through a jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz later in the public hallway and at one point a DA agent even rode in the elevator with Flores-Ruiz and with his attorney.

I spoke to former FBI Special Agent Asha Rangappa, and she believed that both charges could be an uphill battle for the Justice Department in court because it's hard to prove corrupt intent. And she questioned whether the Trump administration was not very focused on the merits of the case and more focused on the signal that it could send.