Ex-FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty after Trump called for his prosecution

The charges against the former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation came amid the president's repeated calls for investigations of his political opponents.

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — Former FBI Director James Comey entered a not guilty plea during an appearance in a federal court here on Wednesday for his arraignment on charges brought after a public campaign by President Donald Trump to prosecute him.

Comey's attorney Pat Fitzgerald waived a reading of the indictment and asked for a jury trial during the brief court appearance.

Last month, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted Comey, whom Trump fired during his first term in office, on two charges: making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.

Trump had posted just days earlier on his social media platform, calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge Comey. "We can't delay any longer," he wrote.

Comey, who was a registered Republican and served in the Justice Department during the George W. Bush administration, became the subject of Trump's ire after he helped spark special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.