Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice — and President Trump applauded that “justice in America” is being served nearly a decade after Russiagate.
Comey, 64, is the highest-ranking former federal official to face charges in connection with the long-running FBI investigation into alleged collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russian officials.
The former top lawman faces up to five years in prison if convicted of both counts. He is expected to turn himself in Friday, according to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
The case has been assigned to District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, an appointee of President Joe Biden, who is slated to arraign Comey on Oct. 9 at a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va.
Comey has retained former federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to represent him in the case.
“JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“Today he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts. He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The indictment was handed up days before the expiration of the five-year statute of limitations to charge Comey in connection with his Sept. 30, 2020, testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on X. “Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
Follow The Post’s coverage on James Comey’s indictment
- Former FBI Director Comey indicted for perjury, Trump warns radical left, Secretary of War’s mystery meeting
- Trump celebrates James Comey indictment in scathing Truth Social post — as ex-FBI director is expected to surrender today
- James Comey’s son-in-law resigns from federal prosecutor position just minutes after ex-FBI director’s indictment
- Trump rages about ‘dirty cop’ Comey’s case being handled by ‘crooked’ Biden-appointed judge: ‘Very big price must be paid!’
“The charges as alleged in this case represent a breach of the public trust at an extraordinary level,” added Lindsey Halligan, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“The balance of power is a bedrock principal [sic] of our democracy, and it relies upon accountability and a forthright presentation of facts from executive leadership to congressional oversight. Any intent to avoid, evade, prevent, or obstruct compliance is a violation of professional responsibility and, most importantly, the law.”
The two-page indictment hinges on an exchange Comey had with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during the Sept. 30, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, during which the former FBI director denied authorizing leaks to media outlets related to the Trump investigation and a separate probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server to store sensitive emails.
“On May 3rd, 2017, in this committee, Chairman [Chuck] Grassley asked you point blank, ‘Have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?’ You responded under oath, ‘Never,’” the line of questioning from Cruz began.
“He then asked you, ‘Have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration?’ You responded again under oath, ‘No.’”
The Texas Republican then noted that Comey’s responses to Grassley appeared to be at odds with comments made by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who Cruz said “publicly and repeatedly stated that he leaked information to the Wall Street Journal and that you were directly aware of it and that you directly authorized it.”
“Who’s telling the truth?” Cruz asked.
To which Comey responded, “I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.”
“I’m not going to characterize Andy’s testimony, but mine is the same today,” he added, when pressed again by the Texas Republican.
The indictment states: “That statement was false, because, as JAMES B. COMEY JR. then and there knew, he in fact had authorized PERSON 3 to serve as an anonymous source in news reports regarding an FBI investigation concerning PERSON 1.”
By making the false statement, Comey attempted to “corruptly endeavor to influence, obstruct and impede” the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to prosecutors, resulting in the obstruction of a congressional proceeding charge.
Comey has confessed to leaking material to the media in the past.
In 2017, he told the Senate Intelligence Committee that he asked “a good friend,” Daniel Richman, a Columbia University law professor who had worked with him in the Southern District of New York, to leak memos on his behalf about Trump’s alleged instructions that a probe into Michael Flynn be dropped.
See Also
Richman’s name also came up, in relation to Clinton probe leaks, in a subsequent FBI investigation, dubbed “Arctic Haze,” that was recently made public by FBI Director Kash Patel.
In 2018, a DOJ inspector general investigation into the Wall Street Journal leaks noted that McCabe told investigators that Comey “agreed it was a ‘good’ idea” to disclose information related to the Clinton email scandal.
The DOJ IG report, however, notes that “Comey and McCabe gave starkly conflicting accounts” of what transpired, with the former FBI director maintaining that he did not authorize the disclosures.
Comey said his “heart is broken” for the DOJ after his indictment.
“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,” he said in a video posted on Substack soon after. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.
“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,” he added.
The grand jury did not indict Comey on a second false statements charge, in which prosecutors accused the former FBI chief of “falsely stating to a U.S. Senator during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that he … did not remember ‘being taught’ of PERSON I’s ‘approval of a plan concerning’ PERSON 2 and the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.”
‘Full accountability’
Earlier Thursday, Trump denied unduly pressing prosecutors to charge Comey, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “They’re going to make a determination. I’m not making that determination. I think I’d be allowed to get involved if I want, but I don’t really choose to do so.”
Patel described the indictment as “another step” in holding those behind “the Russiagate hoax” accountable.
“Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability,” Patel wrote on X. “For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust. Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on.
“Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose.”
The FBI director continued, “Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account — no matter their perch.
“No one is above the law.”
Comey, who has become an outspoken Trump critic, launched the Trump-Russia investigation, dubbed “Crossfire Hurricane,” in July 2016.
Trump, who was never charged with a crime related to the probe, has long blasted the investigation as a “witch hunt” and “hoax.”
The ex-FBI boss helmed the law enforcement agency until being fired by Trump in May 2017.
In May, he posted a cryptic Instagram message with seashells that read “86 47” — which was taken by some Trump supporters as a call for violence against the commander-in-chief.
The term “86” is slang for getting rid of something, and Trump returned to the White House as the 47th president in January.
Over the weekend, Trump appeared to openly pressure Bondi to prosecute Comey, and other prominent political foes, in a since-deleted Truth Social post.
See Also
In a Saturday post, directed at “Pam,” the president fumed that Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James are all “guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.”
“I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia [sic]???,’” Trump wrote.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he added. “They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Trump later told reporters that he wasn’t upset with Bondi but wanted the DOJ “to act.”
“We have to act fast. If they’re not guilty, that’s fine. If they are guilty or if they should be judged, they should be charged. And we have to do it now,” the president said.
Trump’s complaints about the lack of progress in cases against Comey, James and Schiff came on the same day he announced that he had “fired” the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, over the “UNUSUALLY STRONG support” he had received from Democratic senators.
Siebert, who claimed he resigned, had reportedly been under pressure from the Trump administration to bring charges against James related to mortgage fraud allegations.
Trump replaced Siebert with Halligan, a White House aide, who announced the indictment against Comey in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Moments after Comey was indicted, his son-in-law, Troy Edwards, resigned as a federal prosecutor “to uphold my oath to the Constitution and the country,” he claimed in a letter to Halligan.
The deputy chief of the National Security Section, which covers the Pentagon and CIA, handled prominent spy cases — and convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Edwards’ wife, Comey’s daughter Maurene — who prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs — was ousted by the DOJ in July. She filed a suit against the department last week over what she said was an “illegal” and politically motivated firing.
Leave a Reply