Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday on charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding, days after President Donald Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute him and other political adversaries.
The indictment stems from Comey’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020. During that hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, asked about Comey’s 2017 testimony in which he said he did not authorize the leak of information to the media about an FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation. Comey responded, “I stand by the testimony.”
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe later told investigators that Comey authorized him to share information with the press, according to a 2018 Justice Department inspector general’s report. The report also concluded McCabe made false or misleading statements about the leak.
Comey has denied wrongdoing. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The statute of limitations for the charges was set to expire Tuesday.
Trump celebrated the indictment in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to.”
Bondi, in a statement, said the charges “reflect 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.”
Comey responded in a video posted to Instagram, saying his family has long understood the risks of opposing Trump.
“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,” Comey said.
“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system. I’m innocent, so let’s have a trial and keep the faith,” he added.
Comey is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 9 before U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, an appointee of former President Joe Biden.
The indictment underscores Trump’s break with post-Watergate norms designed to insulate the Justice Department from direct presidential influence. For decades, presidents refrained from directing prosecutors to pursue political rivals.
Since beginning his second term, Trump has appointed personal attorneys to top DOJ posts, pardoned more than 1,000 people charged in the Jan. 6 attack, and publicly pressed Bondi to investigate opponents.
