ALEXANDRIA, Virginia – Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, in what marks the first criminal prosecution by the Justice Department against one of President Donald Trump’s political rivals. The indictment, brought by U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, a former insurance lawyer appointed last month after Trump removed her predecessor, alleges that Comey lied during a 2020 congressional hearing when he reaffirmed earlier testimony denying authorization of anonymous sources on FBI probes. Prosecutors claim he secretly approved an FBI employee’s disclosure in an investigation believed to involve Hillary Clinton, Trump’s 2016 election opponent.
Comey, who has denied all wrongdoing and demanded a trial, appeared in court in Alexandria as Halligan presented the case to a grand jury despite warnings from career attorneys citing insufficient evidence. In an unusual move, federal prosecutors from North Carolina were brought in to oversee the charges after internal opposition. The case arrives amid Trump’s ongoing rhetoric about imprisoning political adversaries and follows a public complaint from the president about inaction against Comey.
Critics say the indictment underscores a breach of long-standing norms intended to shield law enforcement from political interference. More than 1,000 Justice Department veterans from both parties have signed a letter condemning the prosecution as “an unprecedented assault on the rule of law.”Trump’s Justice Department is pursuing other figures he has clashed with, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Adam Schiff, and former national security adviser John Bolton. Wednesday’s proceedings take place against a backdrop of deep public skepticism , just 25% of Americans in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll believe the department operates without political bias.
Comey was fired in 2017 while leading an FBI inquiry into Trump’s 2016 campaign ties to Russia, an action that prompted the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller’s probe concluded without finding sufficient evidence of criminal conspiracy, but political divisions over that case have endured.