Former FBI Director James Comey pleader not guilty Wednesday following his federally indictment on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing justice.
The Department of Justice accused Comey of lying to Congress during 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing was in regards to the FBI’s handling of the investigation into alleged Russian collusion with then-candidate Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 presidential election that Trump won, per NewsNation.
If convicted Comey faces several years in prison. He has requested a jury trial.
Trump fired Comey during his first term. He described the investigation into the collusion as a hoax and a “witch hunt.”
“Comey is a crooked guy, has been for years, and he got caught,” Trump said this week. “Look, he lied. This is just a simple case. He totally lied. He made a very definitive statement and a very important statement concerning him, and he got caught in an outright lie.”
Former White House aide and now acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan is the lead prosecutor. Halligan was sworn in in September after U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert resigned.
The Washington Post reported Siebert declined to prosecute Comey because there was insufficient evidence.
Comey’s subsequent indictment has some Democrats alleging the Trump administration is weaponizing the Department of Justice.
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump,” Comey said on social media. “But we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees.”
Federal Judge Michael Nachmanoff will oversee the case. He was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Trump’s camp has pushed back on
Nachmanoff’s assignment by accusing him of being a “Crooked Joe Biden appointed Judge,” the Associated Press reported.
