Former FBI Director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to federal charges

Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges in a case his lawyer described as a revenge prosecution directed by US President Donald Trump, whom Comey investigated in his first campaign for the White House.

Throughout his political career, Trump has threatened to imprison his rivals, starting with “Lock her up” chants during his successful 2016 campaign against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Since returning to the White House, he has urged the Justice Department to confront perceived political enemies.

Comey is the first to be charged, but Trump has also targeted New York State Attorney General Letitia James, former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and, as of Wednesday, the Democratic governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago.

Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, brought by Trump’s former personal lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, who was appointed last month as a federal prosecutor. Trump forced her predecessor to step down because of his reticence to prosecute Comey and James.

Comey, 64, spoke briefly in court, indicating that he understood his legal rights, while his family watched from the front row of the gallery. He made no further public statements on Wednesday, after responding to the accusations last month with a defiant social media video in which he said: “We will not live on our knees.”

Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, filed his plea on Comey’s behalf during a court hearing that lasted about 25 minutes, and indicated that he planned a barrage of legal challenges before the prosecution.

“Our view is that this prosecution came at the direction of President Trump,” Fitzgerald said in court.

The indictment did not include details of the evidence against Comey

Comey’s trial, Judge Michael Nachmanoff of the Eastern District of Virginia, is scheduled to begin on January 5.

The indictment approved by a grand jury late last month accuses Comey of allowing an FBI employee to disclose information about a federal investigation. The indictment does not specify the identity of the investigation, but it appears to be related to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, US President Donald Trump’s rival in the 2016 elections. It did not mention details of the evidence against Comey.

The false statement allegation stems from a congressional hearing on September 30, 2020, with the charges brought under a five-year statute of limitations. At that hearing, Comey told a Republican senator that he stood by previous testimony that he did not allow anyone to serve as an anonymous source on news reports about FBI investigations.

Photos | Former FBI director appears in court:

Trump is targeting two other Democrats

For half a century since the Watergate scandal that brought down former President Richard Nixon, the US Department of Justice has remained at arm’s length from the White House, with the aim of ensuring that politics does not influence charging decisions. Trump has changed that, after claiming that the multiple prosecutions he faced during his four years out of power were politically motivated.

US Attorney Pam Bondi said on Tuesday that she would not reveal whether she discussed the Comey trial with Trump, in response to questions from Democrats. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

In a public social media post on September 20, Trump asked Bondi to investigate three people he considered political enemies, including Comey. It is not clear whether Trump intended the post to be made public or if he intended it to be a private message.

Hours before the hearing, Trump called for the imprisonment of the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois, both Democrats, as his administration prepares to deploy National Guard troops during enhanced immigration measures in the city.

Comey’s team plans to dismiss the charges

Halligan, who has no prosecutorial experience and previously worked as an insurance lawyer before her association with Trump, presented evidence in the case to the grand jury.

In a highly unusual move, the government sent two federal prosecutors from a different office and state, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to handle the case.

Prosecutor Nathaniel Lemons said the case involved a “significant amount” of classified information, prompting the judge to warn that the sensitive nature of the evidence would not put the case “off track” and delay the trial.

Fitzgerald told the judge he plans to file several legal motions to dismiss the case before trial, including claims that the prosecution was retaliatory, was tainted by “egregious government conduct” and that Halligan was illegally appointed as U.S. attorney.

Separately, Maureen Comey, the daughter of James Comey, was among dozens of Justice Department and FBI officials let go by the Trump administration this year after working as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan. Maureen Comey has filed a lawsuit against the administration, alleging that she was illegally fired.

James Comey, like every FBI director before or after him, was a registered Republican. While he was president, he was appointed to the position by Democrat Barack Obama, and by Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign Comey praised For having the “courage” to reopen an investigation into her rival Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server years ago, when she was Secretary of State.

The late campaign announcement angered Democrats, who, along with some election analysts, He cited it as a major factor In Trump’s victory in 2016.

However, in May 2017, Trump fired Comey with six years remaining in the traditional 10-year term as director. The relationship soured after a series of incidents: Comey was charged with sharing unconfirmed intelligence about Trump with the president-elect that included salacious allegations. She resisted pressure from Trump not to investigate National Security Advisor Michael Flynn; He informed Congress and the live television audience that the FBI had been present for several months Investigating communications between the Trump campaign and Russian individuals.

Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation was cited in documents outlining his firing. but Trump quickly admitted “This Russia thing” was a cloud over his presidency that he sought to remove — though a two-year special investigation led instead.

Despite Trump’s dismissal and rancor, Comey told CBC News in early 2021, after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, that then-President Joe Biden should think about it. Issuing amnesty to Trump for possible criminal charges, after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to protest Biden’s confirmation as president.

But that did not happen, and Trump faced criminal indictments related to his actions protesting his 2020 election loss. The cases were closed after his remarkable comeback culminated in his victory in the 2024 presidential election.

Former federal officials criticize the charges

Earlier this year, Comey He was interviewed by the US Secret Service. Comey said he was asked about a post he made on Instagram that he then deleted. Right-wing podcast hosts and pundits seized on the post, claiming it was incitement to violence against Trump, which Comey denied.

Prosecutions for lying to Congress are rare but not unheard of, and defendants in recent cases have included Trump ally Roger Stone, as well as Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer.

In terms of similar indictments for people of Comey’s previous stature, Caspar Weinberger was charged with lying to Congress and obstruction in 1992 in connection with the Iran-Contra scandal. Later, Reagan’s successor, George H. W. Bush, pardoned the former Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan.

In recent days, more than a thousand Justice Department graduates from Republican and Democratic administrations recently signed a letter condemning the case against Comey as “an unprecedented assault on the rule of law.”

Fitzgerald himself is a former federal attorney who has worked on high-profile terrorism and organized crime cases, as well as the prosecutions of media baron Conrad Black and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.