Former FBI Director James Comey has appeared in federal court to answer charges of perjury and obstruction of Congress, in the first prosecution by the U.S. Justice Department of one of President Donald Trump's political foes, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Comey Pleads “Not Guilty“ on charges brought by former Trump personal lawyer Lindsay Halligan, who was appointed last month as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after Trump fired her predecessor for refusing to prosecute Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Comey, who appeared in court in Alexandria, Virginia, today, is accused of knowingly making a false statement when he told a Republican senator during a 2020 hearing that he stood by his previous statement that he had not authorized anyone to serve as an anonymous source in news reports about FBI investigations.
According to the indictment, Comey authorized an FBI employee to disclose information about a federal investigation. The specific investigation is not specified, but it appears to be related to Hillary Clinton, Trump's rival in the 2016 election.
The indictment does not provide details of the evidence against Comey.
Trump has threatened to imprison his political rivals since the beginning of his presidential campaign in 2016, but the case against Comey is the first in which his administration has succeeded in bringing charges, Reuters notes.