Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on Thursday evening in Virginia federal court and charged with making false statements to Congress.
“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an X post.
“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.”
The Justice Department’s decision comes shortly after Erik Siebert, a former U.S. Attorney in Virginia, resigned from his position. Siebert oversaw the cases against Comey and New York Attorney General Leticia James.
Siebert had expressed doubts about the cases and had declined to bring forward criminal charges against Comey or James. Trump told reporters on Sept. 19 that he “wanted [Siebert] out,” prompting the attorney’s resignation hours later.
Trump later claimed he fired Siebert from the post, and replaced him with Lindsey Halligan, one of his former personal lawyers, as acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Trump fired Comey in 2017, initially citing his handling of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, but later admitted he did so because of the Russian collusion probe.
After leaving office, Comey leaked memos he’d kept detailing his interactions with Trump — records that later became central to obstruction of justice questions.
In 2020, Comey testified before Congress to defend the FBI’s 2016 “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into possible ties between the Trump Campaign and Russia, where Republican senators accused him of lying about authorized leaks.
Comey maintained in testimony that he was truthful under oath.
Comey is expected to appear in federal court in Virginia in the coming days to be arraigned.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
