A federal grand jury in the United States has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on two counts connected to his 2020 testimony before Congress.
Comey, who has been a longtime target of criticism from former President Donald Trump, is accused of lying under oath about whether he authorized the leak of classified information to the press.
The case is being spearheaded by Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who previously worked as Trump’s personal lawyer.
Reacting in a one-minute Instagram video on Thursday, Comey declared his innocence and expressed “great confidence in the federal judicial system.”
His arraignment is scheduled for October 9 at 10 a.m. local time in Alexandria, Virginia, according to CBS, the BBC’s U.S. partner.
Attorney General, Pam Bondi, said in a statement that the charges “reflect this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people.”
The former FBI chief faces one count of making false statements and another of obstruction of justice. While prosecutors initially urged the grand jury to consider three charges, only two were deemed to have enough evidence for trial.
If convicted, Comey could serve up to five years in prison. His lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said in a short statement, “Jim Comey denies the charges filed today in their entirety. We look forward to vindicating him in the courtroom.”
In his video, Comey added, “My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. And, I am innocent. So, let’s have a trial.”
The indictment was filed just before the five-year statute of limitations expired. It follows a shift in oversight of the case after the Trump administration dismissed the original U.S. attorney, Erik Seibert, replacing him with Halligan.
Court documents allege that Comey “willfully and knowingly” misled Congress by denying he had authorized someone at the FBI to anonymously provide information to reporters about an investigation. Prosecutors argue his denial was false, as he had directed an unnamed associate to act as a source.
The case has become one of the most high-profile indictments of a public figure during Trump’s second term. The former president, who has long called for Comey’s prosecution, celebrated the charges, branding him “one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to.”
“MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump added on Truth Social, while insisting he had no advance knowledge of the indictment.
Still, legal experts say the trial could be difficult for prosecutors. Loyola Marymount University law professor Laurie Levenson noted, “It’s often the defendant’s word against someone else’s and you’re gonna have to look at the credibility of both. And even if James Comey got things wrong, that doesn’t mean that he knowingly or intentionally lied to Congress. So proving that is going to be the heart of the case.” She also warned that Trump’s public pressure suggested “the traditional firewall between the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice has collapsed with this case.”
Democrats swiftly condemned the prosecution. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “a disgraceful attack on the rule of law,” and promised accountability for “anyone complicit in this malignant corruption.”
Comey, who served as FBI director from 2013 until Trump dismissed him in 2017 amid the Russia election interference probe, has faced multiple inquiries in recent years. Earlier this year, he came under Secret Service review after posting and later deleting, a photo of seashells arranged as “8647,” a number some Republicans claimed was a coded threat toward Donald Trump, the 47th U.S. president.
Meanwhile, Comey’s daughter, Maurene Comey, was dismissed in July from her position as a federal prosecutor in New York after a decade of service.
She has since sued the Trump administration over her firing, adding to the backdrop of political tension surrounding the family.
