Former FBI Director James Comey indicted after pressure from Trump

The president recently suggested the attorney general should prosecute Comey and other prominent critics. Comey was charged with making a false statement and obstruction.

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday, days after President Donald Trump publicly said that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi should prosecute him and two other political adversaries.

The indictment includes two counts: making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Comey has denied any wrongdoing.

The charges stem from testimony Comey gave on Sept. 30, 2020, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Asked by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, about testimony he gave in 2017 asserting that he did not authorize leaking information regarding the FBI’s investigations into President Donald Trump or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Comey said, “I stand by the testimony.”

Comey’s deputy, Andrew McCabe, has said that Comey authorized him to leak information to the press, according to a 2018 Justice Department inspector general’s report. But the report also found that McCabe made multiple false or misleading statements.

The statute of limitations for the charges was set to expire Tuesday. Comey could face a maximum of five years in prison if convicted.