Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday on two federal counts—making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding—days after President Donald Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute him.
James Comey Faces Up to Five Years in Prison
The charges are tied to Comey’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30, 2020. During that hearing, Senator Ted Cruz pressed him on whether he had authorized leaks about FBI investigations into Trump and Hillary Clinton. Comey stood by his earlier 2017 testimony, denying any such authorization.
But according to a Justice Department inspector general’s report from 2018, Comey’s deputy Andrew McCabe said Comey had approved him leaking information to the press. That same report also concluded McCabe himself had given multiple misleading statements.
With the statute of limitations set to expire this week, prosecutors moved forward. If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison.
Trump wasted no time celebrating the indictment. On Truth Social, he called Comey “one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to” and declared, “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!”
AG Pam Bondi Claims DOJ Willing to Hold Powerful Accountable
Attorney General Bondi released her own statement on X, framing the indictment as proof of the Justice Department’s willingness to hold powerful figures accountable for misleading the public. She did not mention Comey by name.
Comey, for his part, denied the charges in a video posted on Instagram.
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine living any other way,” he said. “I’m innocent, so let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”
His arraignment is scheduled for October 9 before Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, a Biden appointee.
The indictment was brought by Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia. Her decision came despite pushback from career prosecutors, who had advised against pursuing the case. Halligan called Comey’s alleged actions “a breach of the public trust at an extraordinary level.”
The case itself has already revealed confusion in the courtroom. Judge Lindsey Vaala noted multiple charging documents filed under the same case number, at one point questioning Halligan directly: “It has your signature on it.” Vaala required her to make handwritten changes before the filings were officially added to the record.
President Trump Targeting His Political Enemies
Comey will be represented by Patrick Fitzgerald, a former special counsel best known for the Valerie Plame leak investigation. Fitzgerald’s application to appear in the case was filed shortly after the indictment.
The timing of the charges has sparked fierce political backlash. Trump had just days earlier singled out Comey, Rep. Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James in a social media post, urging Bondi to act. Schiff responded by accusing Trump of turning the Justice Department into “an arm of the president’s retribution campaign.”
Comey has long been in Trump’s crosshairs. He led the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference during the 2016 race and clashed privately with Trump over the probe. Trump fired him in 2017, a move that led to Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel.
Since then, Comey has become one of Trump’s most vocal critics, calling him “untethered to truth” in his 2018 memoir A Higher Loyalty.
Now, with a criminal trial looming, the former FBI director faces what could be the biggest legal battle of his career.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. High Wire Media operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
 |  |  |
About the Author
