James Comey Indicted Just Days After Trump Demanded US Justice Department to Act ‘Now’ to Prosecute Former FBI Director

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Wednesday on allegations of obstruction and making a false statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 related to Comey’s testimony about Russian interference during the 2016 US presidential election, in which Trump won his first term in office.

The move from the US Justice Department (DOJ) comes just days after President Donald Trump issued a public demand for the DOJ to act “now” to bring charges against Comey and other political foes of the president.

“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “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.”

The indictment against Comey comes in the wake of Trump ousting the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Seibert, who according to sources from media reports had expressed doubts internally about bringing charges against Comey, as well as New York Attorney General Letitia James, after Trump appointed Seibert to lead the office.

After Seibert’s ouster, the president immediately installed Lindsey Halligan to lead the office. Halligan, a White House aide and Trump’s former defense attorney, was appointed to the position despite having no prior prosecutorial experience.

The president hailed the indictment of Comey.

“JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI,” Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform.

“Today he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts. He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.”

Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in Virginia informed Halligan that they could not establish probable cause to charge Comey, according to a report by ABC News.

Despite the lack of clear evidence and ethical concerns about bringing a case without clear probable cause, Halligan still sought an indictment from the grand jury.

“Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust.”

“Every day, we continue to fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on,” Patel continued.

“Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose.”

“Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter their perch. No one is above the law.”

The current charges against Comey are the most dramatic so far in what critics have described as a campaign of retribution by Trump to use the powers of the federal government to enact revenge against his political enemies.

Comey was fired by Trump during his first term in office over the investigation into the president’s 2016 campaign and its ties to Russia. Comey has been a vocal critic of what he says are Trump’s efforts to politicize the justice system.

The tables are now turned after Comey’s indictment, with that same argument about politicizing the justice system likely to be central to his defense in the criminal case, according to legal experts.

The outcome of Comey’s trial will likely also be a test for both the Justice Department and the federal judiciary.

If convicted, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement that Comey faces up to five years in prison, but added that “actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.”