Washington — Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday on two counts, marking a significant escalation in President Trump’s efforts to target his political opponents and use the Justice Department as part of his campaign to seek retribution against his most ardent critics.
Comey was charged with one count of making false statements and one count of obstruction of justice, related to Senate testimony he gave almost five years ago, the Justice Department confirmed in a statement.
In the statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged that Comey “obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information” and made a false statement to Congress.
“Comey stated that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment that statement was false,” Bondi’s statement read. “No one is above the law,” she wrote on X. “Today’s indictment reflects 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.”
President Trump celebrated the indictment in a Truth Social post, calling the former FBI director, whom he fired in 2017, “One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to.”
Comey and his attorneys have not responded to requests for comment.
The indictment was returned in the Eastern District of Virginia as the clock ticked down on the five-year statute of limitations for charges arising out of his September 2020 testimony to Congress, which was set to expire Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 to answer questions about the origins of the FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, known as “Crossfire Hurricane.” The probe, which has frustrated President Trump for years, was later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller.
It remains unclear what specific statement by Comey triggered Thursday’s charges. However, during that hearing, GOP Senator Ted Cruz of Texas asked Comey about earlier testimony in 2017 denying having been an anonymous source or authorizing another FBI official to be an anonymous source for news reports about the FBI’s investigations into Mr. Trump or Hillary Clinton.
The probe involving Clinton examined her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.
Comey told Cruz in 2020 that he stood by his earlier testimony. But a lawyer for Andrew McCabe, Comey’s former deputy, said in 2018 that McCabe authorized disclosing information to a Wall Street Journal reporter in 2016 about the Clinton investigation with Comey’s knowledge.
The lawyer made the claim in response to an investigation by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog, which found McCabe “lacked candor” when he told Comey, or led Comey to believe, that he had not authorized the disclosure.
Comey testified before Congress from his home in McLean, Virginia, which is why the former FBI director was investigated in the state’s eastern judicial district.
The charges come just days after the president tapped his former defense lawyer and White House aide, Lindsey Halligan, to temporarily lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Halligan, who has no prosecutorial experience, took over as interim U.S. attorney following the abrupt departure of Erik Siebert amid apparent pressure from the president and his allies to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Halligan said in a press release, “The charges as alleged in this case represent a breach of the public trust at an extraordinary level.”
Siebert informed staff on Friday, Sept. 19, that he had resigned, an announcement that came after multiple sources told CBS News that prosecutors in his office were concerned Siebert could be removed for failing to prosecute James for alleged mortgage fraud. James has denied any wrongdoing.
President Trump has said he fired Siebert.
The president publicly voiced frustration to Attorney General Pam Bondi over the lack of action against Comey, James, and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California, another political opponent. He warned on social media it was “killing our reputation and credibility.”
“They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump wrote on the social platform Truth Social, referring to the federal and state criminal cases brought against him.
He announced Halligan as his pick to lead the Eastern District of Virginia shortly after, writing she is “fair, smart and will provide desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!”
Comey and President Trump have sparred for years. Comey served as FBI director from 2013 until he was fired by Trump in 2017, during the president’s first White House term. That firing ultimately set into motion Mueller’s special counsel investigation into allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and that the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin.
Trump has repeatedly denounced those allegations as a “hoax.”
For his part, Comey has been a vocal critic of Trump since his firing, calling him “morally unfit” to be president in a 2018 interview.
Earlier this year, Comey provoked an outcry from the Trump administration after briefly posting a photo on social media that administration officials alleged was a call for violence against Trump. As a result, Secret Service agents interviewed Comey for about an hour and a half.
In an interview, Trump said it was “loud and clear” that Comey was calling for his assassination, telling Fox News that any charges for the post should be left to Bondi. Comey denied advocating violence.
Since returning to the White House for a second term, the president has been engaged in wide-ranging efforts to pursue his political opponents and has used different levers of the federal government to do so.
His administration revoked security clearances from former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among others. He also directed that security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials be rescinded.
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