Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted last night on charges of lying to Congress, a sign of US President Donald Trump's growing influence over the Justice Department, the “Washington Post“ reported, BTA reported.
The indictment, approved by a federal grand jury, charges Comey with lying to Congress and obstruction of Congress, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, the publication said. The act was passed despite objections from prosecutors who insist that there is not enough evidence for the charges against the former FBI director, the American metropolitan publication commented.
The case against Comey represents the most significant step in Trump's campaign to use the Justice Department to avenge personal insults and pursue public figures he considers his enemies, commented “The Washington Post“.
Trump claims that his actions are motivated by the fact that state power has been used as a weapon against him and has intensified his public campaign to pressure the Justice Department in recent days, writes the “New York Times“. He has publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to use her powers to prosecute his opponents, whom he describes as "scumbags," including Comey and Letitia James, the New York attorney general who led the case against Trump for overstating his fortune, the publication said.
“The New York Times“ cited several current and former Justice Department officials as extremely concerned about the indictment of Comey. The consequences of this could be far-reaching, including the resignations of prosecutors over the way the Trump administration is trying to use the agency and the erosion of public trust in the US prosecution service, the newspaper said.
Prosecutors have been forced to rush to gather evidence against the former FBI director as the five-year statute of limitations for perjury was set to expire at the end of this week, the British newspaper “Telegraph“ wrote.
They have until Tuesday to organize a federal grand jury meeting to present their evidence to ensure the adoption of an indictment before the deadline, the publication notes.
Bondi came under particularly strong pressure from her boss last weekend, when Trump explicitly asked her to take action against his political enemies, it said. „Telegraph“.
The indictment against Comey was filed by Trump's newly appointed new attorney general in the Eastern District of Virginia, where, ironically, the former FBI director himself once worked as a federal prosecutor, the „Guardian“ newspaper reports.
Lindsey Halligan was appointed as the chief federal attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last week after Trump fired her predecessor, Eric Siebert, who declined to indict Comey over concerns that there was not enough evidence, the publication states.
Halligan, who until recently was a White House adviser and a former Trump lawyer, and has no prosecutorial experience, received a document from her subordinates earlier this week setting out the reasons why Comey should not be indicted, the „Guardian“ claims, citing its own sources. However, the Ministry of Justice has insisted that the indictment be filed, the newspaper commented.