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The indictment came after President Trump pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek charges against Comey and others, including California Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Comey is charged with lying to Congress and obstruction of justice for allegedly providing false testimony on September 30, 2020. Specifically, he is accused of falsely stating that he hadn’t authorized an anonymous source in news reports regarding the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
In a video statement, Comey said, “My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, one of Comey’s defense lawyers, stated that Comey denies the charges in their entirety and looks forward to vindicating himself in court.
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The case was overseen by Trump’s new chief prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, a former real estate lawyer with no prosecutorial experience. Halligan assumed her role on September 20 after Trump fired Erik Siebert for insufficient evidence to pursue charges against James and concerns about the strength of the case against Comey.
Critics, including U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), have condemned this as a dangerous abuse of power by President Trump. They argue that the Justice Department is being used as an arm to punish and silence critics.
This developing story will be updated.
