Comey set for first court appearance
by Jared Gans - 10/08/25 6:59 AM ET
Former FBI Director James Comey will appear at a federal court in Alexandria, Va., this morning to face charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Comey has maintained his innocence and is expected to plead not guilty.
The charges stem from testimony he gave before Congress in 2020 about the FBI’s investigations into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and alleged ties between President Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia that were ultimately unproven.
Comey was asked during that testimony whether he ever authorized a leak about the Clinton investigation, and he denied doing so. But the indictment alleges that when he gave that testimony, he knew he had authorized another person to leak to the media.
The case has received significant national attention in large part because the former FBI director is a top critic of Trump and the president has often called for his political opponents like Comey to be prosecuted.
A few days ahead of the indictment being handed up, Trump posted on Truth Social urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to go forward with cases against Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
The president celebrated Comey’s indictment shortly after the charges were unveiled, calling him a “Dirty Cop” who lied.
But proving the case against Comey may not be easy.
The prosecutor’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia underwent much turmoil before the case was brought. Erik Siebert, who was serving as the U.S. attorney for that district, stepped down last month amid pressure from Trump to quickly bring charges and was reportedly unsure if there was sufficient evidence to pursue cases against James or Comey.
The president chose Lindsey Halligan, who had served as a White House aide, to replace Siebert. She previously was on Trump’s criminal defense team and has never prosecuted a federal case.
The grand jury that approved the charges against Comey was divided, as 14 of the 23 jurors approved the two counts, just over the necessary 12-vote threshold. Jurors also rejected another count of making a false statement.
Comey’s team may file a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that he is being politically targeted, pointing to those who expressed concern about the weakness of the case and Trump’s numerous comments expressing his desire for Comey to face legal scrutiny.
more
https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/5544448-comey-charges-court-mamdani-education-plan/
