(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Two judges and a Virginia prosecutor are actively derailing the Justice Department’s investigation into a radical activist accused of doxxing former Trump adviser Stephen Miller and his young family.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsey Vaala twice denied the FBI’s petition for a search warrant targeting the smartphone of 66-year-old suspect Barbara Wien, who allegedly distributed leaflets exposing Miller’s home address.
One of the leaflets read, “NO NAZIS IN NOVA,” and featured Miller’s face in a red circle with a cross through it, as reported first by Axios.
The incident occurred on Sept. 11, one day after Charlie Kirk was senselessly killed in what prosecutors have exposed as a politically motivated act.
Surveillance footage from the Secret Service reportedly captured Wien walking by Miller’s home, locking eyes with Miller’s wife, Katie, and making an “I’m watching you” gesture.
This threat prompted the White House to move the Miller family to a military facility to protect them.
Local police arrested Wien, suspecting she had violated state and federal laws against doxxing. The FBI and state prosecutors launched separate investigations.
Police seized Wien’s phone on Oct. 1 — the same day she was interviewed by the FBI. Federal agents said she misled investigators, prompting them to seek a search warrant for her device.
Judge Vaala—a donor to both former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama—denied the request, which could have led to evidence of the alleged lies to investigators, particularly on whether Wien was part of a group that threatened the Millers’ safety.
The Millers then took the matters to the Virginia State Police, which successfully petitioned local Judge Judith Wheat for a warrant.
However, the FBI’s involvement enraged Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Arlington’s Democrat prosecutor, who sided with Wien’s defense attorneys and asked Wheat to limit the search warrant and block the FBI from accessing the data.
Dehghani-Tafti’s actions were extraordinary, Republican prosecutors said as search warrants are routine in early criminal probes. Tellingly, Dehghani-Tafti has a documented history of hostility toward Miller on social media and even followed one of Wien’s activist groups, ANUF.
A senior administration official condemned the interference, telling Axios: “The position of the judge and the justice system in Northern Virginia is, Stephen Miller deserves this, so it shouldn’t be investigated. This is just about gathering evidence to see if there should be an arrest. And the judges are blocking it.”
The White House echoed the concern, saying: “A lot of administration officials feel it’s a problem that you have to live in Virginia or D.C. or Maryland. But the criminal justice system will not protect you and your family.”
Wien’s defense argued her actions were lawful and part of her work in “peace studies.”
The case remains with the FBI and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is set to leave office in January 2026 after the election of Jay Jones, the embattled Democrat who once fantasized about killing his political opponents.
