Former FBI Director James Comey leaves federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, after pleading not guilty to obstruction and false statement charges Image credit: The Guardian.
(The Post News) – Former FBI Director James Comey is charged with federal crimes after a grand jury indicted him on Thursday on two counts: making false statements and obstructing a congressional inquiry. The indictment is President Donald Trump’s most direct attack yet on a longtime rival.
Prosecutors accuse Comey of misleading senators during a Sept. 30, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. When Sen. Ted Cruz inquired of Comey whether he approved leaks about FBI investigations of Trump and Hillary Clinton, Comey replied, “I stand by the testimony.” His former deputy, Andrew McCabe, then told investigators that Comey approved at least one leak to the press.
If found guilty, he can be sentenced to five years in prison. He will have to appear for arraignment on Oct. 9 before U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Ex-FBI Director Comey Pushes Back
Trump was quick to boast about the indictment on Truth Social: “JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to is James Comey.”
the former FBI director responded with a video uploaded to Instagram: “My family and I have long known that there are prices to be paid for standing up to Donald Trump.” We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. I’m innocent, so let’s have a trial and keep the faith.” Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, criticized the case as politically motivated and threatened a ferocious defense.
The demands were only a few days following Trump’s call to Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge Comey, Rep. Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump’s request broke decades of post-Watergate regulations designed to remove the Justice Department from political pressure.
Trump named Lindsey Halligan, who served as a White House staffer and his attorney in the Mar-a-Lago case, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia on Monday. She signed the indictment of Comey three days later. Career prosecutors in her office had opposed the action, warning that the evidence was weak.
House Democrats on the Judiciary Committee accused Trump of politicizing the DOJ. “President Trump, you and your willing partner are dismantling centuries of prosecutorial independence,” Rep. Jamie Raskin wrote.
Political Fallout and High Stakes
The indictment accelerates Trump’s campaign of vengeance against critics to new heights. Schiff ridiculed the move as “blatant abuse,” and Sen. Chuck Grassley said Comey deserves accountability if he had lied. Comey, who publicly sparred with Trump over the Russia investigation before being fired in 2017, has been a steady critic since then. His 2018 memoir, A Higher Loyalty, labelled Trump “unethical” and “untethered to reality.”
Few in American history have been found guilty of lying to Congress; therefore, the trial served as a high-stakes testing ground for the Justice Department’s independence. the ex-FBI director, however, sounded defiant: My heart is shattered for the Department of Justice, but I have complete faith in the federal judiciary.
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