A federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday on charges of giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
“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.”
Comey’s indictment stems from statements the former FBI head made to Congress in September 2020 when he testified regarding his handling of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to the indictment. Comey’s indictment comes just days ahead of a major deadline: September 30, when the statute of limitations was set to expire on claims made by Comey during the 2020 hearing.
Comey is the first former senior administration official to be indicted in connection with the Russian collusion conspiracy and the FBI investigation into false ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
President Donald Trump reacted to news of the indictment on Truth Social, referring to Comey as “one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to…”
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement after the indictment dropped that the agency has taken “another step in its promise of full accountability.”
“For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust,” he said. “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.”
Comey responded to his indictment in a video on Instagram, implying that the president is a tyrant, and claiming in part: “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I am innocent.”
Comey and Trump have publicly feuded for the better part of a decade. Earlier this year, the former FBI director met with Secret Service agents after he posted to his Instagram a photo that many interpreted as a call to kill Trump.
The former FBI chief posted on his Instagram in May a photo of a beach with a number of shells in the shape of “86 47.” The number “86” in some settings is coded language to kill.
Comey later deleted the photo and posted an apology on his social media and said he “assumed” the shells were a political message and that he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.”
Comey has also broadened out his attacks to include the Republican Party at large. In May of this year, Comey referred to the Republican Party as “white supremacist adjacent” during an appearance on MSNBC.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
