James Comey, sitting mostly silent, appeared in front of a judge on Thursday, declaring himself not guilty of sowing suspicion about President Donald Trump and a baseless partnership with Russia following the 2016 election.
The former FBI director, facing charges of lying to Congress and obstructing an investigation, declared his innocence through his attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, who waived a reading of the indictment and requested a jury trial.
Last month, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted Comey, and he agreed to surrender to authorities last week. An FBI agent who reportedly failed to arrange a public perp walk was suspended for insubordination, according to CBS News.
Trump had called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi just days earlier to arrest Comey, writing in a post on Truth Social, “We can’t wait any longer.”
Central to the government’s case against Comey is whether he lied to Congress while testifying in 2017 about his Russiagate investigation. Under questioning by Republicans, Comey denied leaking related FBI casework to the media, but a former deputy later testified that Comey instructed him to do so.
He told the U.S. Senate again in 2020, “I stand by the testimony.”
Comey’s daughter, who was fired by the U.S. Justice Department in July, was present for her father’s arraignment, according to NBC News.
The 64-year-old Comey wore a dark suit and stood to speak only once during the proceedings. “I do, your honor, thank you very much,” he responded when asked if he understood his rights, including the right to remain silent.
A trial date has been set for January 5, 2026, and both parties have concurred that the entire trial should last only two or three days. Lawyers for Comey say they will file two sets of motions: one opposing the prosecution on the grounds that it is politically motivated, and a second challenging the DOJ’s appointment of Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney, as lead prosecutor.
Fitzgerald has called Halligan’s appointment “unlawful.”
The case is one of what is expected to be several brought by the DOJ as Trump prepares to wield his power against his political enemies. He has alleged that others who prosecuted him, including Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), are guilty of misrepresenting their residences on federal mortgage documents.
A cohort of former federal judges warned last week that Trump’s prosecution of Comey, and perhaps James and Schiff, represents a “grave danger” to the U.S. justice system.
“President Donald Trump continues to corruptly abuse the power of his office by directing the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to target his critics and his perceived political enemies for investigation and criminal prosecution,” they wrote.
No mention was made in the letter of the four criminal cases brought against Trump by some of the individuals being targeted.
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, 2025-10-09 13:45:00, , Trending Politics Conservative Breaking News and Commentary, %%https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cropped-tp-fav-2-32×32.png, https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/feed/, Mark Steffen
