The indictment came after Trump fired prosecutors for refusing to file charges with Comey and asked Attorney General Pam Bondy to do so.
The Department of Justice is considering accusations against James Comey
The Justice Department is considering accusations against former FBI director James Comey, but it is unclear what those charges are.
Former FBI Director James Comey was charged by a large ju trial. The move has been a long-standing effort by President Donald Trump to punish a former top federal law enforcement officer fired in 2017 for investigating contact with Russia in 2016.
The Federal Ju Court handed over the charges of making false statements to Congress during his testimony on September 30, 2020, accusing Comey of making false statements to Congress and obstructing Congress. Specifically, the accusations allege that others at the FBI are “not anonymous sources” of the FBI investigation.
Much of Comey’s testimony that day focused on the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which benefited Trump. In the end, special advisor Robert Mueller concluded there was no sufficient evidence that Trump’s campaign was coordinated with Russia.
The indictment follows Trump ousted US lawyers and asked for accusations against Comey
The indictment comes days after Trump publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondy to file criminal charges against Comey and two other political antagonists.
“They’re all sinning like hell, but they’re not going to do anything,” Trump told Pam in a Truth Social Post on September 20th.
“We can’t delay it anymore. It’s killing our reputation and reliability,” Trump said. “They each of me twice, they charged me (five times!), they don’t do anything. They have to serve justice!!!”
On the evening of September 25th, Trump celebrated the indictment on social media.
“American Justice! One of the worst people this country has ever exposed is James Comey, the former corrupt head of the FBI,” Trump posted to The Society of Truth. “He was so bad for our country for so long and now it’s the beginning of his responsibility for his crimes against our country. Make America great again!”
Recently, the case was overseen by Lindsay Harrigan, Trump’s new chief prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Harrigan entered the role on September 20 when he announced that Trump was bashing Eric Sheebert as the top prosecutor in Alexandria, in Washington, DC.
Sheebert, who oversaw the Department of Justice’s criminal mortgage fraud investigation into James, left his post on September 19th. Sheebert reportedly resigned after informing the DOJ that there was insufficient evidence to pursue the charges against James, and raised concerns about the strength of the lawsuit against Comey.
But Trump claimed in the true social post that he “dismissed” Sheebert because of “unusually strong support” from a Virginia Democrat senator.
Critics fear play power abuse
The indictment immediately attracted criticism from Democrats.
“Donald Trump has made it clear that he intends to turn critics into weapons to punish and silence critics,” Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), vice-chairman of the Senate Selection Committee, said.
Warner highlighted that Sheebert was kicked out of the prosecution role after it reportedly failed to support the case against Comey.
“This kind of interference is a dangerous abuse of power,” Warner said. “Trump is undermining one of the most important US lawyers’ firms in the country, eroding the rule of law itself.”
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the Department of Justice under former President Barack Obama, has expressed serious concerns about the meaning of the prosecutor.
“The Justice Department, which we’ve known for a long time, is dead,” Mill said. “Like many authoritarian states, punishing the president’s enemy, regardless of law, exists as a governmental arm. Even if this incident is rejected, it will still be a tragedy for a country with lasting meaning.”
Comey’s defense team did not immediately comment on the charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued a statement regarding X addressing the claim.
“No one is beyond the law,” Bondy posted without clarifying who she refers. “Today’s accusations reflect this Department of Justice’s commitment to retaining people who are responsible for misleading Americans by those who abuse their positions of power. We follow the facts in this case.”
When asked if he was personally sought a charge for Comey, Trump said he could personally get involved but chose not to. Instead, he said “very professional people” including Bondy and Associate Attorney General Todd Blanche would decide on the criminal charges.
For years, Trump has publicly attacked Comey, but the former FBI director has sharply criticized him in return.
And while Trump said the decision to indict Comey was on hiatus with the DOJ appointed leader, the president’s comments were part of a wider pressure campaign on law enforcement to chase his political opponents, including criminal prosecutions.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Contribution: Nick Pensenstadler – USA Today.
