Former FBI Director James Comey Indicted: Latest Updates on Obstruction Charges
Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for allegedly making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to his testimony in 2020 about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The indictment, filed Thursday night, does not specifically mention the Russia investigation but outlines charges against Comey for lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the investigation and whether he authorized a leak to the press.
Last week, Erik Siebert, the chief prosecutor who worked in the same office that filed the case against Comey, resigned after President Donald Trump pressured him to bring charges against the New York attorney general, Letitia James, in a mortgage fraud investigation. In a social media post, the president asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to do something about Comey, James, and Trump's other political enemies, writing to Bondi, "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!" President Trump then nominated U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney to the president, who quickly moved forward to present the Comey case to a grand jury.
Halligan rushed to present the case to a grand jury because prosecutors had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. Shortly after the charges were filed, Comey responded in a video posted on his social media, saying, "My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I'm innocent. So let's have a trial and keep the faith."
Overnight, President Trump posted on social media, calling Comey "one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to" and saying Comey is "being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation." Trump continued by posting early Friday morning, "JAMES COMEY IS A DIRTY COP." If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison.
Stay tuned for the latest updates from the Washington News Bureau.