Former FBI Director Comey Charged With Lying to Congress

Margaret Brennan, host of 'Face the Nation,' breaks down the indictment of former FBI director Jim Comey as Trump continues his push for retribution against those he views as opposed to his administration.

Former FBI Director James Comey was charged with lying to Congress and obstruction related to testimony he gave in 2020, accelerating President Donald Trump’s push for legal action against his perceived political enemies.

The filing of charges capped days of speculation over whether the Justice Department would bring the high-profile case against Comey, who has clashed with the president for years. The grand jury indictment was announced Thursday by a US prosecutor handpicked by Trump to start her job this week after her predecessor resigned under pressure last week.

Since taking office in January, Trump has often discussed going after political opponents and other perceived enemies. He recently issued a directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi in a social media post demanding urgent action against some of them, including Comey.

Trump cheered the charges on his Truth Social network.

“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,” Trump wrote Thursday.

After the indictment, Comey said in a video on Instagram that he is “not afraid.”

“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.

Donald Trump notched a major victory in his push for legal action against perceived political enemies with the indictment of former FBI director James Comey, fueling speculation about possible charges against others the president wants prosecuted.

The president quickly touted Thursday’s charges against Comey, whom he has long considered an arch-nemesis, for allegedly lying to Congress and obstruction related to testimony in 2020. The indictment was secured by a prosecutor who just days earlier Trump had handpicked for her job while publicly pressuring the US attorney general to quickly take legal action against Comey and others.

“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,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social after the indictment was announced.

The case against Comey, whose attorney denies the charges and vows to fight them, isn’t expected to play out in court for weeks. Still, the speed with which prosecutors secured a criminal indictment after Trump urged action is ricocheting across Washington and beyond.

Trump made clear his desire for the Justice Department to quickly prosecute Comey in a social media post last Saturday. The president urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take swift action against Comey, California Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he said in the post that also referred to Trump previously being impeached and indicted. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Prosecutors faced a looming deadline of next week to bring charges against Comey over his 2020 testimony. Meanwhile, James and Schiff are facing federal probes over allegations that they may have committed mortgage fraud stemming from claims by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Both James and Schiff have denied those claims.

The case against James is being handled by the same US attorney’s office that brought the charges against Comey. Lindsey Halligan took over Monday as head of the US attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia on an interim basis.

Previously, Halligan was a senior aide at the White House and worked on an initiative to review exhibits at the Smithsonian’s museums to ensure that they reflect American “excellence” as laid out in an executive order. She also represented Trump against charges of mishandling classified documents after his first term and was previously an insurance lawyer in Florida.

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