Former FBI Director James Comey Indicted on Felony Charges Tied to 2020 Senate Testimony

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a stunning development that represents the dramatic culmination of a years-long political feud, former FBI Director James B. Comey, who oversaw the bureau's contentious investigation into potential ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on two felony counts. According to a detailed report from Fox News Digital, the charges include making false statements to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, marking an extraordinary legal salvo against a man President Trump has long vilified as a central figure in what he terms a politically motivated "witch hunt."

The indictment, filed in Alexandria, Virginia, came just days before the five-year statute of limitations was set to expire on the testimony in question. It also arrived amid an intensified public pressure campaign from President Trump, who has been demanding that his Justice Department move swiftly to prosecute his perceived political adversaries.

In a celebratory post on his Truth Social platform following the news, Trump wrote, "JUSTICE IN AMERICA!" and derided Comey as "one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to."

According to the Fox News report, Comey is expected to turn himself in on Friday, with an arraignment scheduled for October 9. The case, which is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, centers on testimony Comey gave before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020.

The indictment alleges that Comey made a false statement when he testified that he had not authorized someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports, a claim the charging document asserts was untrue. The second count, obstruction of Congress, relates to the same testimony.

The move to charge Comey has been fraught with controversy and has raised alarms about political interference at the Justice Department. Both The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that the indictment was brought over the objections of career prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia, who had determined there was insufficient evidence to justify charges.

According to The New York Times, these career officials were overruled by Lindsey Halligan, a Trump loyalist and one of his former personal defense lawyers, who was installed as the new U.S. Attorney for the district just days ago after the previous top prosecutor was forced out. The Times described the bare-bones, two-page indictment as being signed only by Ms. Halligan, a departure from the typical practice of including endorsements from the career prosecutors who built the case.

Further underscoring the unusual nature of the proceedings, both newspapers reported that the grand jury rejected a third false statement count that prosecutors had sought to bring against Comey. A magistrate judge, Lindsey R. Vaala, expressed confusion in court over the unusual procedure and the late hour at which the indictment was returned, according to The New York Times.

In a video statement posted to social media, Comey declared his innocence and defiantly welcomed a trial. "My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way," he said.

"We will not live on our knees and you shouldn’t either." He added, "My heart is broken for the department of justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I'm innocent. So let's have a trial and keep the faith."

The indictment has sent shockwaves through the legal and political communities. Troy A. Edwards Jr., Comey's son-in-law and a prosecutor in the very office that brought the charges, resigned his post shortly after the indictment was made public.

According to The New York Times, Edwards, who had worked on cases related to the January 6 Capitol riot, stated in an email that he was leaving to "uphold his duty to the Constitution and country." Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, issued a statement warning that the indictment represented a "dangerous abuse of power" and that the justice system depends on prosecutors making decisions based on evidence, "not on the personal grudges of a politician determined to settle scores."

Attorney General Pam Bondi, however, appeared to embrace the move. "No one is above the law," she posted on X, as reported by Fox News. "Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people."

FBI Director Kash Patel echoed this sentiment, stating on social media that the indictment was a step toward "full accountability" for the "politicization of law enforcement" during what he termed the "Russiagate hoax."

The indictment is the latest chapter in a saga that began in July 2016, when the FBI, under Comey's leadership, opened the "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation into alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

 Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an act that led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III. After a nearly two-year investigation, Mueller's report, as noted by Fox News, found no evidence of a criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

Subsequently, another special counsel, John Durham, was appointed to investigate the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane probe itself. Durham's report, released in his first term, was highly critical of the FBI's handling of the investigation, finding that the bureau had "failed to act" on intelligence suggesting that the investigation could have been influenced by a political plan orchestrated by Hillary Clinton's campaign.

The Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to prosecute those it believes were involved in what the president has consistently labeled a plot against him. As reported by The New York Times, the case against Comey is one of at least three investigations the administration has opened related to the former FBI director.

As the legal battle lines are drawn for what is sure to be a high-profile and politically charged trial, the indictment of James Comey stands as a potent symbol of the deep and enduring fissures that have come to define the American political landscape.