Former FBI Director
Comey is contesting the charges brought last month by a new US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia whom Trump abruptly installed after her predecessor
The appearance of the former Federal Bureau of Investigation chief before a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday marked a watershed moment in Trump’s push for
Trump fired Comey in 2017 as he was overseeing a probe into whether anyone associated with the president’s 2016 campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in that election.
The indictment centers on testimony Comey gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020. In an exchange, Republican Senator
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During the hearing Wednesday, Comey said, “Yes, your honor,” when he was asked by the judge if he understood the charges against him. Comey barely spoke during the proceeding, which lasted about 20 minutes. His attorney,
Fitzgerald said in court that Comey’s defense believes the Justice Department brought the charges at Trump’s direction and would ask for the case to be dismissed. He also said they’d challenge the appointment — days before Comey’s indictment — of Trump’s hand-picked prosecutor,
“Our view is that this prosecution was brought at the direction of President Trump,” Fitzgerald said during the hearing. If the case isn’t dismissed, he said, “My client is anxious to get to a speedy trial.”
US District Judge
Fitzgerald said in court that the defense hasn’t been given any additional details about the charges, including the identities of people referenced in the indictment. Prosecutors said there is a large amount of evidence, including classified information, which could slow down the timing of when it is turned over to Comey’s lawyer.
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“I will not slow this case down because the government does not properly turn everything over,” Nachmanoff said. “This does not appear to me to be an overly complicated case.”
‘Not Afraid’
After the indictment was released on Sept. 25, Comey said in a video on Instagram that he is “not afraid.” If convicted of the charges, the former FBI director could face up to five years in prison.
Trump had made clear his desire for the Justice Department to prosecute Comey just days before Halligan filed the charges. In a social media post, the president urged Attorney General
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump said in the Sept. 20 post. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Trump cheered the announcement of Comey’s indictment on social media, fueling criticism that the Justice Department was inappropriately acting at the behest of the president. During a tense Tuesday
“The Attorney General has systemically weaponized our nation’s preeminent law enforcement agency to protect President Trump and his allies and attack his opponents and the American people,” said Senator
Bondi refused to discuss the case against Comey. She and other top administration officials, however, have said that Comey’s indictment wasn’t politically motivated. “No one is above the law,” she said in a post on X as the charges were revealed.
The case is US v. Comey, 25-cr-272, US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria).
(Updates with lawyer comment in eighth paragraph.)
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Elizabeth Wasserman, Steve Stroth
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